a s o b i s e k s u | h u s h | polyvinyl, 2009
Pronounced (ah-so-bee sek-su).
Asobi Seksu is comprised of Yuki Chikudate and James Hanna, who met while studying at the Manhattan School of Music. This album follows up the band's EP Citrus (2006). You can read on the CD case about their hardships and challenges since then that have delayed production of this 2009 release.
Their sound has cooled off a little; this album channels a sweet, blissed-out dream pop, and lacks the more intense shoegazing of their previous albums. The songs on 'Hush' are melodically refined with guitar lines that stand apart from the fuzzy background, tight drums underneath and ethereal female vocals swishing around the stratosphere. New for this album is a detailed approach to instrumentation. Listen for the more distinct keyboards, bells, and even organ. The beats are formed by a sweet dreamy regularity similar to the rhythm of icing a cake and the hazy shimmer of tinsel.
If you like the crescendi of sweet and fuzzy, be sure to catch Asobi Seksu at Local 506 on March 26,2009 as they head north after SXSW.
Best: 5, 1 ,11
Indecent: none that i could discern
**Note that there is some dead air around 2:30 on Track 12.
c l e m s n i d e | h u n g r y b i r d | 429 records, 2009
Clem Snide emerged in the 1990s to pioneer exactly what the name suggests: artsy country coupled with sneering spoken lyrics. This subgenre of indie music has now become a standard offering, and Clem Snide is still slipping bittersweet metaphors atop guitars that twang more often than not.
The words are my favorite element of earlier Clem Snide work. Ironic, cutting non-sequiturs slowly strung together to make long-running metaphorical lines; all delivered in a restrained and vulnerable voice. This is still present, but becoming more orchestrated, more elaborate, less bare. The music follows suit; building on the sweet and melancholy with a greater sense of sophistication and a fuller sound. Bolstered by more guitars, unexpected distortion, piano even doubling of the vocals (!). You may enjoy the horns and kazoo on Track 3. You may not enjoy the cheesy piano and drum kit combination akin to light rock radio on Track 2.
Literary Fun Facts: Track 5 features spoken-word composition and performance by Franz Wright, awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2004.
"Clem Snide" was the name of a character in several William S. Burroughs novels.
Best: 1, 6 (excellent rock-out starting around 1:30), 9
Indecent: 0
You can catch Clem Snide at Local 506 on March 12, 2009.
m. w a r d | h o l d t i m e | merge, 2009
M. Ward's voice is heavenly and his guitar is impeccable. This new release, Hold Time, finds him collaborating with some unusual and welcome guest stars: Lucinda Williams on Track 10 (the sad Oh Lonesome Me), Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, as well as She & Him co-collaborator, Zooey Deschanel.
Ward's flair for the vintage and taste for unexpectedly appropriate orchestration have crafted an album that is a comforting as it is moving. His voice is smoky, far away, whisper-close and incredibly sexy. His guitar lines borrow rhythm from classic vintage strummers. The lyrics deal with old-timey subject matter (think early Americana) but somehow convince you of its relevancy to the current American milieu. He borrows classic folk elements and metaphors-- the call and response on Track 2 for example-- and tinkers with the production until the resulting sound is warm and introspective. Overall excellent.
Best: 4, 5, 10, 11
Indecent: n/a
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