Asobi Seks u Premiere ‘Trails’ Remixes by Deerhoof
aaamusic | On 12, Jan 2011
Brooklyn-based indie quartet Asobi Seksu have premiered a series of remixes online by Deerhoof, Holy Other and Painted Palms of current single ‘Trails’.
The intense Deerhoof rework premiered over on Pitchfork last night, click to download it here
Whereas My Old Kentucky Blog debuted enchanting newcomers Holy Other and Painted Palms remixes recently.
Click here to download and share ‘Trails’ (Holy Other Remix) and (Painted Palms Remix) via Soundcloud.
As previously reported, Asobi Seksu announced the release of their highly anticipated fourth album, ‘Fluorescence’, available February 14th in UK/Europe and 15th in North America on CD, LP (Gatefold Jacket, limited edition 180 gram pink vinyl) and digital formats. The album features the lead single, ‘Trails’, which is available now as an MP3 download. The album features artwork from acclaimed designer Vaughan Oliver (Cocteau Twins, Pixies). ‘Fluorescence’ is available for pre-order now on the Polyvinyl website at www.polyvinylrecords.com/fluorescence.
Asobi Seksu head out on an extensive North American tour at the end of January, starting with a big one-off gig with White Lies at the Highline Ballroom in New York. Throughout the tour, the band will be joined by Brahms, Cults & BRAIDS. Full details of the dates are are on the band’s Myspace.
The signs in Chris Zane’s studio couldn’t have been any clearer: “Don’t Overthink It” and one simple word—“BOLD.”
Or as Asobi Seksu guitarist/singer James Hanna puts it, “This time, our agenda was to not have one at all; to be mellow about the entire process instead of obsessing over everything.”
Maybe mellow isn’t the right word, unless he’s comparing the band’s fourth proper full-length (Fluorescence) to a coiled-up cobra or unconscious crocodile— temperamental types that are one false move away from striking. After all, “Coming Up” sets the scene by plowing into beehive-like synth lines and warp speed washes of dream-pop that leave you wondering just what the hell is going on.
Things don’t let up on “Trails” either, as singer/keyboardist Yuki Chikudate sets her immaculate melodies against a barrage of battery-powered chords. Catchy and chaotic to the core, the sky-scraping song pays homage to the pitch-perfect songwriting of the ‘60s by chartering a yellow submarine to the moon.
And when the Brooklyn-based quartet (rounded out by bassist Billy Pavone and drummer Larry Gorman) finally hits the ground, their color-saturated soundscapes don’t get dull or cold. They get even brighter, as Fluorescence’s many shades shift with each passing song. That includes everything from the expansive/erratic—and yet, oh-so- poppy—prog movements of “Leave the Drummer Out There” to the weightless balladry of “Ocean,” a track that channels its title with swollen synths and beats that bob and weave through the murkiest waters around.
“James likes to get a lot more abstract with the music,” says Chikudate, “So Chris (Asobi Seksu’s longtime producer) will often try and reign him in.”
“I like to see how far we can take a song before pulling back a bit,” explains Hanna. “Like I’ll say that 100 vocal tracks would sound great in a spot where we only need 40.”
And since Asobi Seksu have spent the past decade refining their bombastic but beautiful blend of hailstorm hooks and fog-shrouded 4AD-isms (including last year’s special acoustic album, Rewolf), they knew exactly what to do with all of that restlessness: embrace it.
