ASOBI SEKSU /// ASOBI SEKSU /// FRIENDLY FIRE RECORDINGS ///

In Asobi Seksu's press release, it says that the New York band's name means "playful sex" in Japanese. And while sometimes sex may feel playful and casual, there's always something more significant and meaningful brewing just below the surface. As much as it is denied, it's always more substantial. Sex is never just sex.

And like the titular activity, Asobi Seksu's debut album functions in a very similar fashion. Upon first listen, it seems to be just what it is-a rock album-but, simultaneously hard to understand (some of the lyrics are in Japanese). Moreover, the beginning, "I'm Happy But You Don't Like Me," a jangle pop song, provides you with a false sense of comfort, almost suggesting that you shouldn't expect anything more from your experience. But as the record progresses, it assumes a darker tone, a metropolitan-like shadow looming in the back alleys of dimly lit streets. With the alternating vocals of Yuki Chukidate, the sultry-voiced import, and James Hanna, who duplicates the talky vocals of Dean Wareham, the album gradually gains poignant weight. "Walk On The Moon" even sounds like a Yeah Yeah Yeahs' ballad rendering a likeness to the melancholia that is "Maps." Furthermore, throughout the release, guitarist James Hanna paints a kaleidoscopic picture with his shoegazing strokes, producing echoey...er, echoes of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. Ultimately, the production value of the album suffers somewhat but this band shows a great deal of promise. While many New York groups are looking to their forefathers for a punk rock aesthetic, Asobi Seksu finds inspiration in cooler older brothers like Luna, Blonde Redhead and Sonic Youth, all bands that have avoided the fleeting playfulness and devoted their careers to an enduring substance.

Arye Dworken