Album Review: Citrus by Asobi Seksu

Asobi Seksu are part of the contingent of bands who refuse to let shoegazing die. There are enough guitar effects on Citrus to make Kevin Shields proud and enough reverb and echo on the vocals to make Rachel Goswell blush. Asobi Seksu make judicious use of loud-soft dynamics, aren't afraid to disappear into great walls of guitar noise, and most importantly, they write very good, adventurous, and memorable pop songs.

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It seems like an odd combination – the haze of late-’80s shoegaze with the frolicsome female vocals of, say, Puffy Ami Yumi. But Asobi Seksu makes it work for the most part on their second full-length, Citrus. Attention naturally centers on the band's singer, Yuki, whose sugary voice careens and soars over dense arrangements. She switches easily from English to Japanese over the course of these 11 songs, though you would have to check the lyric sheet to figure out the words in either case.

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