BAEBLE CONCERTS: Asobi Seksu at McCarren Park

There've been countless shoegazing bands since My Bloody Valentine's emergence the late '80s, but only Asobi Seksu can claim to be a co-ed, bilingual, multi-ethnic, sexually-charged shoegazing band. They've got a patent on that subgenre, to be sure, and shoegaze is alive and well in their capable hands.

With its open-air amphitheater and wide expanses, McCarren Park Pool is the perfect venue for such a group. James Hanna's reverb-coated guitar echoes off the concrete surroundings, sounding more like an entire rock symphony than a single instrument, and Yuki Chikudate's vocals drift into the lazy afternoon sky. For a group intent on using noise as a musical instrument, the conditions of this gig - great weather, open sky, an entire hollowed-out pool waiting to be filled with music - couldn't have been better.

-Andrew Leahey