Hush

Asobi Seksu | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 17, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polyvinyl Records
• ASIN: B001NJY5AS
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,215 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Their Polyvinyl debut captures the energy of their live shows and transforms it into something new and different. Shimmering, dew-draped riffs and spiral staircase melodies are blurred by bits of guitar violence, and sputtering drums are bolstered by the ethereal vocals of Yuki Chikudate.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Asobi Seksu - Hush, February 20, 2009

By 

Andrew Vice (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hush (Audio CD)

Before Hush, Asobi Seksu were very much a My Bloody Valentine tribute band, though not in the negative way that such a description denotes. Asobi Seksu is one of the few bands that can effectively recreate the palette of sounds created by Kevin Shields and apply it to excellent pop songcraft, backed by Yuki Chikudate's ethereal vocals. Their self-titled debut was a solid little number, serving more as a sample of what was to come than standing on its own merits as a worthwhile album. It was the kind of disc that belonged in a good shoegaze collection, but wouldn't get spun too often. Citrus, on the other hand, was one of the best shoegaze albums since MBV's landmark Loveless and Slowdive's damn-near-as-good Souvlaki, and it perfectly blended the dark, dreamy gauze of shoegaze with spry pop songwriting.

Not content to simply continue in the same path, Asobi Seksu have taken a step back on Hush, their latest LP, cutting away a lot of the textural components of Citrus and the S/T albums in order to let the songs stand more on their own. Unfortunately, irregardless of the lack of shoegaze on this record, the songs just don't stand up as strongly as those on Citrus. Even the killer songs like Familiar Light feel like they're only living up to part of their potential, as though there is somewhere more these songs should go. I'm glad that Asobi Seksu is continuing to grow, and Hush is a good album that suffers a little from those growing pains, but hardly in a fashion that makes it a bad record. It's no Citrus, but it's worth hearing, enjoying, and owning.

8/10

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Majestic piece of work, March 17, 2009

By 

Vi L. Truong - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hush (Audio CD)

I've never heard of this group upon reading a review on [...] about it. Based on the overview of the band, it sounds like the previous album from this group was in the vein of shoegazing bands like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, etc. This album was supposed to be a marked departure from that noise/melodic sound that the shoegazers perfected so well.

At any rate, after I got this album, I've been listening to it constantly. Musically, to phrase it as simply as I can, it's majestic and sweeping. It's like being swept into another world or an alternate state. Although I have a hard time understanding the lyrics (some of it sung in Japanese), it doesn't matter in the end. The lead singer, Yuki Chikudate, has this sort of heavenly, yet innocent, voice that's enchanting and mesmerizing. It's a beautiful album, one of my favorites so far this year.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Irresistible, November 24, 2009

By 

Jean Louise Finch "Scout" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hush (Audio CD)

This band puts on a great show and their studio work is alive with their lively spirits. Yuki Chikudate is so interesting and beautiful. A could listen to her all day - and I have!