In Memory of the Injured Bird
Asobi Seksu, a band known for its love affair with shoe-gaze and dream-pop announced that they were going to leave their feedback and effect pedals behind to promote their forthcoming acoustic album. I was intrigued to hear how their songs would sound stripped down to their essence, so on a chilly Wednesday evening I left my Chinatown apartment and began walking towards Joe’s Pub. Coincidently, I had been to this venue once before to see Asobi Seksu who were celebrating the release of their Citrus album. I remembered the place having an intimate feel and an excellent sound system. When my girlfriend (who took on the role of photographer) and I arrived inside we quickly claimed a spot on one of the sofas and ordered drinks. Yuki, was alone on the stage trying to acclimate herself to the space. Although this was an acoustic show the stage is small and was packed with instruments.
After a short wait the band came on with James seated on the right side of the stage and Yuki seated at a piano, which was at the back left of the stage. At first, the sold-out crowd remained silent, perhaps filled with anticipation or curiosity– the vibe was more library than rock and roll so, Yuki playfully chided the crowd for their seemingly stoic presence, which elicited hoots and hollers. Now that it was assured that we had a pulse they launched into a B-side favorite of mine, “ Breathe Into Glass.” I’ve been to countless Asobi Seksu shows and have noticed it generally takes Yuki a few songs before her vocals really warm up so I was immediately taken by how strong and gracefully she eased through the first song. I begin to smile knowing that this was going to be a night to remember.
The next song was “Walk on the Moon,” from their debut album then “Strawberries,” from Citrus. By this time Yuki abandoned the piano and came to the front of the stage to play the glockenspiel. The next was a surprising cover of Hope Sandoval’s song, “Suzanne.” This required Yuki to sing lower and slower and gave the band a much different feel, especially during the chorus, which was sung by both James and Yuki. While listening to them share the chorus I couldn’t help but hear shades of Mojave 3’s first album. After this they played “Meh No Mae,” which James admitted he had no idea what it meant so he put Yuki on a spot for an explanation. She said it didn’t translate well into English but an approximation was “whatever is right in front of you.” Another Japanese number they played was “Shut up bird” or “Loud Bird.” I don’t believe this song has been recorded so it was a treat to hear them play some new material.
Although always an affable band, this night found Yuki much more talkative so the we finally got a taste of her personality which ranged from silly to sardonic and mostly charming. She told stories about having to attend Japanese school every Saturday yet her linguistic skills remain elementary at best, which didn’t stop the band from playing a gorgeous version “Goodbye,” a J-pop infused Citrus song that relies heavily on guitar hooks so they wisely took the emphasis off of the guitars and onto the percussion. It was at this point in the evening that I noticed how much they had grown.
The band played beautiful renditions of “Gliss,” and “Layers,” both of f of Hush. Then the band members left the stage except for Yuki who went back to the piano. She launched into a lenghtly narrative about her and some of the band “tripping balls” on mushrooms and James disappearing then reappearing and telling Yuki that he had written the best song ever. The mushroom affair also involved the discovery of an injured bird that eventually was put out of its excruciating misery by James. All this resulted in Yuki playing a solo piano version of “Blind Little Rain,”which sent chills through the audience, and then her voice soared on “Familiar Light.” By the time the show ended the crowd was left transfixed and in various states of bliss. Thank you Asobi Seksu.
more from this author
- Yo La Tengo - 'Popular Songs' - August 25th, 2009
- To Watch The Waves Crash In - August 17th, 2009
