Asobi Seksu's new album Hush turns away from the band's previously moody, shoegaze aesthetic, in favor of a more vocally oriented pop sound.
This distinction feels akin to splitting hairs; anyone not already familiar with this digitally affected, instrumentally sprawling form will be unable to hear the difference, as both of these elements have been an ever-present staple of the group, and Hush is no exception.
Brooklyn-based Asobi Seksu's name means ""casual sex"" or ""sex for fun"" in Japanese, a sentiment oddly absent in the band's songwriting. Vocalist Yuki Chikudate delivers half-English, half-Japanese lyrics effectively with a bubbly and towering voice. Yet she carries a melancholic undertone as a way of setting the group apart from other affiliates of the genre, who are in constant danger of sounding exactly like one another.
Chikudate has made herself an integral part of the band's distinctive sound, which already relies on its talented singer's voice as the backbone to hold the music together. The fact that Asobi Seksu have chosen to further amplify this dominant aspect of their music makes the songs one-dimensional at times.
The distortion and digital reverb, which are expected as mainstays for shoegaze music, take a clumsily noticeable back seat, and when they do become prominent, the disappointment that follows highlights the album's least effective and flat-out boring sections.
The album's singles, ""Me & Mary"" and ""Familiar Light,"" sound more influenced by Japanese pop acts such as Hikaru Utada rather than other alternative-rock, shoegaze bands such as the oft-compared My Bloody Valentine.
Aside from these central tracks, the album gets lost in the background. Hush feels unsure of itself as wholly shoegaze and tries to overcompensate by expanding the constraints of the genre, only to leave the album feeling unbalanced and schizophrenic.
Those snared by the vocal hooks of ""Me & Mary"" will remain uninterested in the low-key, dreamy atmosphere of the rest of the album. Those who remain content gazing at their shoes, however, will be surprised when the tempo and vocals pick up and will wonder why this much thought wasn't put into the other songs on the album.
However, at times, these two competing elements do come together and find a satisfying harmony.
The song ""Glacially,"" in particular, mixes James Hanna's oceanic guitar and subdued backup vocals with Chikudate's, and the two sounds flow together to form a tight, dynamic piece that would make even Kevin Shields sway back and forth in appreciation.
This album will cause one to wonder whether the post-rock, dream-pop sound is no longer relevant enough to stand on its own without other influences, or if Hush is merely the result of Asobi Seksu attempting to break free of the constraints of one genre.
Unfortunately, no matter what the intention was behind this change of direction, the product has been diminished to mixed results, undoubtedly leaving fans of their previous effort, Citrus, disappointed and confused.
