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General Ratings:
Music: 7
Lyrics: 6
Scope: 4
Consistency: 8
RIYL: Cat Power, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out era Yo La Tengo, Yann Tiersen
Further Listening: Tenniscoats, Adem, Lady & Bird
Place of Origin: New York City, NY
Instrument/Sounds List: Acoustic Guitars, Piano, Multi-tracked Vocals, Alternative Percussion (Tambourine, Shaker, Woodblock), Glockenspiel, Synthesizers, Organ,Toy Piano.
Mood Tones:
Season: Late Summer
Weather: Rainy
Time of Day: Afternoon
Song Highlights: Thursday, Breathe Into Glass, New Years
Favorite Lyrics:
"There's pills, straws and bottles/
For all our hurt feelings/
They mix well in person,/
But sting when they're leaving." (from "Familiar Light")
"You're never as sad as you're acting/
And my attention's never far/
Let the ocean kiss your raincoat/
And save the doubts for after dark." (from "Blind Little Rain")
"Feel the air come closing in/
Before the hurricanes begin/
Strands of warmth come whispering/
And you can ask me anything." (from "Breathe Into Glass")
Other Thoughts:
There is a good possibility that most of Asobi Seksu's fans won't even bother tracking this record down, as nearly all of the things you associate with the band (e.g. intensely layered production, heavily distorted guitars, driving rhythms) are clearly not going to be focal to an album with the word acoustic in the title. Perhaps this record isn't for them anyway, as it shares much more in common with the self-produced bedroom pop of an artist like Adem than it does with My Bloody Valentine. It may also prove to be too much too soon, as it comes directly at the heels of Hush, the band's 3rd studio album, released in late February. Indeed, the band itself seems rather preoccupied, as 4 of the ten tracks originally appear on Hush, double that of any of their other records (2 cuts, "Thursday" and "New Years" are off Citrus, "Walk on the Moon" comes off the self-titled album, "Breathe Into Glass" was the b-side from the "Me and Mary" single, and two of the songs, "Suzanne" and "Urusai Tori," I haven't been able to place).
Acoustic albums are almost always disappointing, which is too bad given the potential that the concept holds. Instead of piecing apart a handful of classic cuts and stitching them back together in new and interesting ways, most of the acoustic records of recent memory have had a tossed off quality to them; gone are all but lead and rhythm guitar parts and maybe a drum track, simplicity becoming monotony before you'd even have to flip the long player over. Thus, heading into my first listen, I was pretty content with the idea that Acoustic at Olympic Studios would be disposable -- even the title suggests that it was thrown together as an after-thought while they were laying Hush down. How pleasant my surprise then that AAOS is every bit as considered and almost as nuanced as the rest of Asobi Seksu's catalog. One listen to the way they pair the sung chorus on "Thursday" with its spoken equivalent in French and not only have we arrived at something more interesting than 90% of the acoustic dregs out there, but they're doing exactly the opposite of what tradition dictates you do on this type of record: they're adding new parts.
And yet the best aspect of this album, especially considering the band making it and their particular proclivities, is how clean and focused the production is. The cuts aren't completely devoid of layering, per se, but things have definitely been boiled down a bit. In a way, it's reminiscent of watching Joanna Newsom perform Ys with her traveling band, six people doing the work of an entire orchestra. The strongest lines are brought front and center to play with one another, and without all of the other pieces that were thrown in to make the song sound full, all you hear is what the band takes to be the heart of each song, which in turn can influence the way you listen to the originals (this has definitely happened for me with "Thursday," which I had always thought was one of Citrus's lesser cuts--not anymore). This may be especially relevant to the Asobi Seksu fans who were underwhelmed by Hush, as not only do each of its revisited songs sound more focused, but their lyrics are also more easily discernable, and prove to be the best that they've laid to paper.
Other than the occasional dalliance (e.g. the samba-inspired "Urusai Tori" or the piano balladry of "Blind Little Rain") the album's songs are mostly of a piece, sustaining a mood of rainy day melancholy from beginning to end. It's probably a bit obvious, but I'd feel remiss without noting the utter loveliness of Yuki Chikudate's voice; its innate sweetness coupled with the simplicity of production and the use of glockenspiel and toy piano makes most of AAOS feel like a lullaby, and it's hard to think of another record that I'd rather be ferried off to dreamland by.
The Downside:
You will know pretty quickly if this record is going to interest you, and if it doesn't grab with the first couple of songs, there's not much reason to try to soldier through the rest. A couple cuts are simplified too much and fall prey to the aforementioned monotony that bathes most acoustic re-recordings. The band is working almost entirely within the downbeat sections of its catalog, probably assuming that songs like "Lions & Tigers" and "Goodbye" wouldn't translate as well, which means that some of their best original material is omitted here. If we want to get technical, the use of synthesizers makes this album less than 100% acoustic.
Music: 7
Lyrics: 6
Scope: 4
Consistency: 8
RIYL: Cat Power, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out era Yo La Tengo, Yann Tiersen
Further Listening: Tenniscoats, Adem, Lady & Bird
Place of Origin: New York City, NY
Instrument/Sounds List: Acoustic Guitars, Piano, Multi-tracked Vocals, Alternative Percussion (Tambourine, Shaker, Woodblock), Glockenspiel, Synthesizers, Organ,Toy Piano.
Mood Tones:
Season: Late Summer
Weather: Rainy
Time of Day: Afternoon
Song Highlights: Thursday, Breathe Into Glass, New Years
Favorite Lyrics:
"There's pills, straws and bottles/
For all our hurt feelings/
They mix well in person,/
But sting when they're leaving." (from "Familiar Light")
"You're never as sad as you're acting/
And my attention's never far/
Let the ocean kiss your raincoat/
And save the doubts for after dark." (from "Blind Little Rain")
"Feel the air come closing in/
Before the hurricanes begin/
Strands of warmth come whispering/
And you can ask me anything." (from "Breathe Into Glass")
Other Thoughts:
There is a good possibility that most of Asobi Seksu's fans won't even bother tracking this record down, as nearly all of the things you associate with the band (e.g. intensely layered production, heavily distorted guitars, driving rhythms) are clearly not going to be focal to an album with the word acoustic in the title. Perhaps this record isn't for them anyway, as it shares much more in common with the self-produced bedroom pop of an artist like Adem than it does with My Bloody Valentine. It may also prove to be too much too soon, as it comes directly at the heels of Hush, the band's 3rd studio album, released in late February. Indeed, the band itself seems rather preoccupied, as 4 of the ten tracks originally appear on Hush, double that of any of their other records (2 cuts, "Thursday" and "New Years" are off Citrus, "Walk on the Moon" comes off the self-titled album, "Breathe Into Glass" was the b-side from the "Me and Mary" single, and two of the songs, "Suzanne" and "Urusai Tori," I haven't been able to place).
Acoustic albums are almost always disappointing, which is too bad given the potential that the concept holds. Instead of piecing apart a handful of classic cuts and stitching them back together in new and interesting ways, most of the acoustic records of recent memory have had a tossed off quality to them; gone are all but lead and rhythm guitar parts and maybe a drum track, simplicity becoming monotony before you'd even have to flip the long player over. Thus, heading into my first listen, I was pretty content with the idea that Acoustic at Olympic Studios would be disposable -- even the title suggests that it was thrown together as an after-thought while they were laying Hush down. How pleasant my surprise then that AAOS is every bit as considered and almost as nuanced as the rest of Asobi Seksu's catalog. One listen to the way they pair the sung chorus on "Thursday" with its spoken equivalent in French and not only have we arrived at something more interesting than 90% of the acoustic dregs out there, but they're doing exactly the opposite of what tradition dictates you do on this type of record: they're adding new parts.
And yet the best aspect of this album, especially considering the band making it and their particular proclivities, is how clean and focused the production is. The cuts aren't completely devoid of layering, per se, but things have definitely been boiled down a bit. In a way, it's reminiscent of watching Joanna Newsom perform Ys with her traveling band, six people doing the work of an entire orchestra. The strongest lines are brought front and center to play with one another, and without all of the other pieces that were thrown in to make the song sound full, all you hear is what the band takes to be the heart of each song, which in turn can influence the way you listen to the originals (this has definitely happened for me with "Thursday," which I had always thought was one of Citrus's lesser cuts--not anymore). This may be especially relevant to the Asobi Seksu fans who were underwhelmed by Hush, as not only do each of its revisited songs sound more focused, but their lyrics are also more easily discernable, and prove to be the best that they've laid to paper.
Other than the occasional dalliance (e.g. the samba-inspired "Urusai Tori" or the piano balladry of "Blind Little Rain") the album's songs are mostly of a piece, sustaining a mood of rainy day melancholy from beginning to end. It's probably a bit obvious, but I'd feel remiss without noting the utter loveliness of Yuki Chikudate's voice; its innate sweetness coupled with the simplicity of production and the use of glockenspiel and toy piano makes most of AAOS feel like a lullaby, and it's hard to think of another record that I'd rather be ferried off to dreamland by.
The Downside:
You will know pretty quickly if this record is going to interest you, and if it doesn't grab with the first couple of songs, there's not much reason to try to soldier through the rest. A couple cuts are simplified too much and fall prey to the aforementioned monotony that bathes most acoustic re-recordings. The band is working almost entirely within the downbeat sections of its catalog, probably assuming that songs like "Lions & Tigers" and "Goodbye" wouldn't translate as well, which means that some of their best original material is omitted here. If we want to get technical, the use of synthesizers makes this album less than 100% acoustic.
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