Album Review: Asobi Seksu - Citrus

Rating: 6 out of 10

I swear I wanted to love this album. I've been obsessively playing "Thursday" ever since I downloaded it from Pitchfork's Infinite Mixtape feature over a month ago - often listening to it two or three times a day. Sure, it's Shoegaze v2(K), but the gorgeous melody of Yuki's breathy vocals and the insistent bassline give it an exuberance to which a lot of Shoegaze v1 never aspired. And the musicians don't sit still on this song, but add in fresh layers of shimmer on each new segment (and cannily don't return to that haunting chorus the last time through - so if you want to hear it again, you'll have to play the song again.) "Thursday" has been known to evoke a tear or two when I'm feeling particularly open to it (or caffeinated)... a strong candidate for my favorite song this year.

Unfortunately, most of Citrus doesn't feel quite as fresh. I wish I could make it through this review without mentioning Kitchens of Distinction, but too many of these songs sound like KOD with a female singer. Of course, KOD were always woefully underappreciated, so it's possible a lot of listeners won't know what the hell I'm talking about, and won't find Citrus tainted by mimicry. The stunning similarities have gotten in the way of my sinking into it, however. "Red Sea" is gorgeously hazy and loud, but play it back-to-back with KOD's "Blue Pedal" (from 1990's The Death of Cool) and tell me how - gender of the singer aside - they're substantially different. Same echoey whole notes (in some cases even the same notes!), same frenetic rhythm section, same dynamic build to an extended wall of noise outro. I'll easily grant that "Red Sea" is the better of the two songs (probably my second favorite on the album), but I still can't shake the comparison.

The other standout song is the opener "Strawberries," which actually sounds completely unlike the rest of the album. Yuki's organ is more upfront, and the overall tone is jaunty rather than dreamy. The choruses have an urgent rush to them, and after the second time through the song breaks down to a pulsing climax that's almost shockingly different from the rest of the song, but still feels organically related.

It's pretty much downhill after the epic centerpiece "Red Sea." Yuki's vocal can't save the plodding pace of "Lions and Tigers", "Nefi + Girly" never quite takes off despite some real momentum in the verses, and closer "Mizu Asobi" is, um, cute.

I'm going to see Asobi Seksu next Wednesday, and perhaps the live show will force a re-evaluation. But for now: I don't hate Citrus, and would even recommend it to people younger than me who missed Shoegaze v1. But I'm not blown away by it, either, "Thursday" aside.