James Hanna and Yuki Chikudate make up the nucleus of Brooklyn neo-shoegazer band Asobi Seksu. Hush is the fourth studio album from the group.
Hush does little to dissuade those who are already fans of the band's atmospheric sound. The early-mid 90s influence of artists like Lush and Cocteau Twins shines through on the album.
Chikudate's vocals are ethereal throughout the album, and the songs for the most part are constructed around them. Those vocals create a chorus of cherubs effect on "Layers" and layout a fairytale land on "Familiar Light".
Hush's weaknesses come glaring through on "Sing Tomorrow's Praise". The music backing the vocals is thin and hollow, leaving the vocals hanging, naked and unprotected. This phenomenon is repeated on a number of tracks on the record. With a few notable exceptions, "Glacially" being one, Asobi Seksu never seems to fire on all cylinders at the same time.
"Sunshower" is one of the few tracks to takes a different turn. Crisper, brighter, and more distinct than most of the other songs on the album, it's eerily reminiscent of Blondie's "Dreaming".
Alas, too often there is a disjoint or void between the music and the vocals on Hush. One or the other tend to dominate a particular track, never quite meshing to work together.
Asobi Seksu play La Sala Rossa in Montreal on March 2nd and the El Mocambo in Toronto on March 3rd.
Best tracks: "Glacially", "Me & Mary"
Track listing for Hush:
- Layers
- Familiar Light
- Sing Tomorrow's Praise
- Gliss
- Sunshower
- Risky and Pretty
- In the Sky
- Mehnomae
- Glacially
- I Can't See
- Me & Mary
- Blind Little Rain
5.5
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