There's so much new, offbeat and interesting music coming out of New York City these days that it's easy to overlook bands that may not have as high a profile as the likes of Animal Collective, The National or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Japanese-Americans Asobi Seksu are one of those low-profile acts - but although they may not be as far-out or as cutting-edge as some of their peers, they're making music that's just as enchanting. Citrus is the trio's third album, the follow-up to their eponymous 2004 debut, and a record that's instantly gratifying, if not exactly life-changing. Most of the thirteen tracks here plough the same furrow and are moulded from a fusion of buzzing basslines, babbling guitars and rattling drums, sounding like a concoction of My Bloody Valentine-style shoegaze, Prefab Sprout-style '80s indie and Low-esque drone-pop. Strawberries, Thursday and Strings all crackle with warmth and spacey gurgles, Goodbye's twee thwack could almost pass for a Camera Obscura b-side, Exotic Animal Paradise builds from a swoonsome, acoustic intro into a hail of delightfully cacophonous drumming, while dainty-voiced lead singer Yuki Chikudate provides a constant stream of graceful vocal intonations. A band name that translates to 'Playful Sex' may insinuate that Asobi Seksu have a seedy underbelly - but Citrus is an album that dispenses sweet and sour in just the right measures. Brilliant.

Your Comments

No comments have been posted for this article yet. Be the first!