Co-ed shoegazers Asobi Seksu (colloquial Japanese for "playful sex") released their debut album in 2004 to significant critical acclaim, winning rave reviews from The New York Times, Nylon, Under the Radar, YRB, and XLR8R. Led by singer/keyboardist Yuki Chikudate, the lineup also included guitarist James Hanna, bassist Glenn Waldman, and drummer Keith Hopkin.

After several personnel changes, Citrus - eleven tracks of swirling dream pop - was released in 2006.

Citrus
Friendly Fire Recordings
6.22.2006

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

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