Asobi Seksu

Add Date: January 12

Artist: Asobi Seksu

Album: Rewolf

Label: Polyvinyl

Genre: Rock, dream pop, indie pop

Comments: Here's an interesting concept for an album: re-record your My Bloody Valentine-influenced, wall-of-noise shoegaze pop songs as folk ballads. Essentially, that's what New York's Asobi Seksu has done for Rewolf, the band's second LP for Polyvinyl (of Montreal, Japandroids, Architecture in Helsinki) and fourth overall album. Though the sonic difference can be disconcerting to people who have followed the band over the last few years--especially for someone who, like me, saw their wonderfully loud live show in support of the 2006 issue Citrus--the quieter arrangements really suit Yuki Chukidate's beautiful, ethereal voice. Asobi Seksu reinvented themselves for last year's dreamier, poppier Hush (which saw a foursome slimmed down to the duo of Yuki and James Hanna), and Rewolf is an attempt to reimagine the band's past work with their current lineup and style. Check out "New Years," "Walk on the Moon" and the Hope Sandoval cover "Suzanne."