Asobi Seksu is an American dream pop

Dream pop

Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...

 band based in New York City. Their music draws influence from the shoegazing

Shoegazing

Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...

 genre as well, and similarly uses a textured and effects-heavy vocal and guitar sound. The band consists of Yuki Chikudate

Yuki Chikudate

Yuki Chikudate is the main vocalist and keyboardist of the dream pop band, Asobi Seksu. She was born in Japan and is of Japanese descent, which she claims to be what contributes to the Japanese lyrics in a few of the band's songs...

 (vocals, keyboards

Keyboard instrument

A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

) and James Hanna (guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

, vocals).

History

They were originally known as Sportfuck, and in 2001 released their first self-titled EP. Finding the name juvenile, the band soon changed their name to Asobi Seksu. Their full length self-titled debut album

Asobi Seksu (album)

Asobi Seksu is the debut album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. It was released on May 18, 2004 through Friendly Fire Recordings in the US, and on June 4, 2007 in Europe by One Little Indian Records.-Track listing:...

 followed in May 2004. They regrouped with a new rhythm section for their second album, Citrus

Citrus (album)

Citrus is the second studio album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. It was released on May 30, 2006 through Friendly Fire Recordings in the US, and on August 13, 2007 in Europe by One Little Indian Records. Three singles were released from the album: "Thursday" in August 2007,...

, which was recorded in Gigantic Studios, New York City, with producer Chris Zane

Chris Zane

Chris Zane is a music producer, engineer and mixer based in New York City.-2011:*Heartsrevolution - "Ride or Die" *Friendly Fires - "Pala" *Holy Ghost! - "Holy Ghost!" *Asobi Seksu - "Fluorescence"...

 and released in 2006 by Friendly Fire

Friendly Fire Recordings

Friendly Fire Recordings is an independent record label based in Brooklyn, founded by Dan Koplowitz in 2004. Bands under the label include Asobi Seksu, Faunts and David & the Citizens. Friendly Fire is distributed in the United States by Redeye Distribution and in Canada by Outside Music...

. One Little Indian Records

One Little Indian Records

One Little Indian Records is a London-based independent record label that rose from the ashes of punk record company Spiderleg Records. It was set up in 1985 by members of various anarchist punk bands, and managed by ex-Flux of Pink Indians Derek Birkett. The first success came with A.R. Kane and...

 signed the band in Europe and re-released the band's first album and the follow-up Citrus in 2007. In early 2009, the band released their third studio album Hush

Hush (Asobi Seksu album)

Hush is the third studio album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. It was released on February 17, 2009 through their new label Polyvinyl Records. It includes the singles "Me & Mary," which preceded the album's release in November 2008, "Familiar Light" in February 2009, "Transparence"...

. The album was released to generally positive reviews, with many critics citing a shift in the band's shoegaze direction to a more mellow, dream pop sound.

In May 2009, Yuki Chikudate released a single with Pocket

Pocket (musician)

Pocket is the remixer/producer alias for Richard Jankovich. Since 2005, he has released many "pocket mixes" for artists like Joanna Newsom, Beck, Kristin Hersh, Antony and The Johnsons, Radiohead, Cat Power, Of Montreal and more.-Biography:...

 called "Sampo." The track included remixes by Mux Mool, Blue Eyes, and Craig Wedren

Craig Wedren

Craig Wedren is the former lead singer of Shudder to Think and now the lead for the newer pop-mash project, "BABY".Wedren has also contributed vocals to the musical act Tweaker with Chris Vrenna, formerly of Nine Inch Nails, The Verve Pipe's self-titled album, the musical act Cex, The Dead...

. In November 2009, a tour-only CD retitled Rewolf, featuring newly recorded acoustic versions of the band's back catalog, was released worldwide.

Song appearances in media

Asobi Seksu's songs have been featured in various television shows, including The L Word

The L Word

The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...

and the British television series Skins

Skins (TV series)

Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...

. The song "Layers" from Hush was also featured in an episode of Ugly Betty

Ugly Betty

Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...

. Their non-album track "Stay Awake" was included on the Adult Swim

Adult Swim

Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...

 compilation album Warm & Scratchy in May 2007. The band provided music for So Yong Kim's 2007 film In Between Days

In Between Days (film)

In Between Days is a 2006 film directed by So Yong Kim about a young girl from Korea and her coming of age in her new surroundings. The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, and was released into select theaters on June 27, 2007.- Synopsis :...

and contributed an original score for Kim's 2009 film Treeless Mountain

Treeless Mountain

Treeless Mountain is a 2008 South Korean drama film written and directed by So Yong Kim. It stars Hee Yeon Kim, Song Hee Kim, Soo Ah Lee, Mi Hyang Kim, Boon Tak Park. It premiered on September 5, 2008 at the Toronto International Film Festival...

. The song "Thursday" was featured in The Exploding Girl

The Exploding Girl

The Exploding Girl is a 2009 American mumblecore film written and directed by Bradley Rust Gray, starring Zoe Kazan as Ivy, a college student returning home to Brooklyn for a break fraught with difficulty....

which was produced and edited by Kim and directed by her husband Bradley Rust Gray. Kim also directed the music video for the song.. Their song "Ramen Girl" was the closing-credits song for the 2008 film The Ramen Girl

The Ramen Girl

The Ramen Girl is an American-Japanese movie starring Brittany Murphy about a girl who goes to Japan and decides to learn how to cook ramen.-Plot:...

.

Studio albums

• Asobi Seksu
  Asobi Seksu (album)
  Asobi Seksu is the debut album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. It was released on May 18, 2004 through Friendly Fire Recordings in the US, and on June 4, 2007 in Europe by One Little Indian Records.-Track listing:...
  
  (May 18, 2004)
• Citrus
  Citrus (album)
  Citrus is the second studio album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. It was released on May 30, 2006 through Friendly Fire Recordings in the US, and on August 13, 2007 in Europe by One Little Indian Records. Three singles were released from the album: "Thursday" in August 2007,...
  
  (May 30, 2006) (#21 UK Indie Chart in 2007)
• Hush
  Hush (Asobi Seksu album)
  Hush is the third studio album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. It was released on February 17, 2009 through their new label Polyvinyl Records. It includes the singles "Me & Mary," which preceded the album's release in November 2008, "Familiar Light" in February 2009, "Transparence"...
  
  (February 17, 2009)
• Rewolf
  Acoustic at Olympic Studios
  Acoustic at Olympic Studios is an acoustic album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. The album was first released in February 2009 as a tour-exclusive CD, then reissued and retitled Rewolf for worldwide distribution by One Little Indian Records in November 2009. The album was recorded at...
  
  (worldwide release of Acoustic at Olympic Studios
  Acoustic at Olympic Studios
  Acoustic at Olympic Studios is an acoustic album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. The album was first released in February 2009 as a tour-exclusive CD, then reissued and retitled Rewolf for worldwide distribution by One Little Indian Records in November 2009. The album was recorded at...
  
  ) (November 10, 2009)
• Fluorescence
  Fluorescence (album)
  Fluorescence is the fifth studio album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. It was released on February 14, 2011. It was released on vinyl through Polyvinyl Record Co., and a limited-edition pink marble vinyl pressing was available for the first 500 purchases.-Track listing:# "Coming Up"...
  
  (February 14, 2011)

Live albums

• Live at the Echo 10/6/06
  Live at the Echo 10/6/06
  Live at the Echo 10/6/06 is the first live album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. It was recorded at The Echo in Los Angeles, California...
  
  (October 31, 2006)
• Live from SoHo (2007)
• Acoustic at Olympic Studios
  Acoustic at Olympic Studios
  Acoustic at Olympic Studios is an acoustic album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. The album was first released in February 2009 as a tour-exclusive CD, then reissued and retitled Rewolf for worldwide distribution by One Little Indian Records in November 2009. The album was recorded at...
  
  (tour-only CD; reissued for wide release as Rewolf) (February 8, 2009)

Singles

From Asobi Seksu

• "Walk on the Moon" (May 14, 2007)
  1. "Walk on the Moon" – 4:35
  2. "Sooner" – 3:48
  3. "Walk on the Moon" (Enhanced Video)

From Citrus

• "Thursday" (August 6, 2007)
  1. "Thursday" (Radio Edit) – 3:26
  2. "New Years" – 3:03
• "Strawberries" (November 12, 2007)
  1. "Strawberries" – 3:59
  2. "Strawberries" (CSS Remix) – 3:19
  3. "Strawberries" (The Whip
     The Whip (band)
     The Whip are a band whose founding members Bruce Carter and Danny Saville come from Oldham, Greater Manchester, England formed in 2006. The rhythm section is Nathan Sudders and Fiona "Li'l Fee" Daniel , who was previously in Colne based band Earl....
     
      Remix) – 4:48
  4. "Strawberries" (Ulrich Schnauss
     Ulrich Schnauss
     -Biography:Ulrich Schnauss was born in the northern German seaport of Kiel in 1977. He became interested in a range of music: My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Tangerine Dream, Chapterhouse, and early bleep & breakbeat tracks...
     
      Remix) – 3:45
• "Goodbye" (March 10, 2008)
  1. "Goodbye" (Paul 'P-Dub' Walton Radio Mix) – 3:18
  2. "Thursday" – 4:17

From Hush

• "Me & Mary" (November 18, 2008)
  1. "Me & Mary" – 3:07
  2. "Breathe Into Glass" – 3:52
• "Familiar Light" (February 23, 2009)
  1. "Familiar Light" – 3:23
  2. "Familiar Light" (Twins Remix) – 3:21
• "Transparence" EP (August 25, 2009 – US)
  1. "Transparence" – 3:53
  2. "Urusai Tori" – 3:19
  3. "Transparence" (Aa
     Aa (Big A Little a)
     Aa is a musical project from Brooklyn, New York. The core members are Aron Wahl, Josh Bonati , and John Atkinson each of whom play percussive instruments and synthesizers...
     
      Remix) – 3:03
  4. "Miniature Cities" – 5:51
• "Layers" (December 7, 2009 – UK)
  1. "Layers" – 4:01
  2. "Urusai Tori" – 3:19
  3. "Transparence" (Aa Remix) – 3:03
  4. "Miniature Cities" – 5:51

Non-album singles & EPs

• Sportfuck EP (2001) (released when the band was still known as Sportfuck)
• "Stay Awake"/"Then He Kissed Me" (November 20, 2007)
  1. "Stay Awake" – 5:31
  2. "Then He Kissed Me
     Then He Kissed Me
     "Then He Kissed Me" is a song written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry. The song was released as a single in September 1963 by The Crystals. It is a narrative of a young woman's encounter, romance, and eventual marriage with a fellow youth. The single is one of The Crystals' most...
     
     " (The Crystals
     The Crystals
     The Crystals are an American vocal group based in New York, considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era of the first half of the 1960s. Their 1961–1964 chart hits, including "Uptown", "He's a Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron " and "Then He Kissed Me", featured three successive female lead...
     
      cover) – 2:33
• "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" (December 10, 2007)
  1. "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" (Ramones
     Ramones
     The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
     
     cover) – 3:08
  2. "New Years" – 3:03

External links

• Asobi Seksu's official website
• Asobi Seksu on EMI Music Japan
• Vital Stats: Asobi Seksu at Anthem Magazine