Asobi Seksu

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More About

• Loney Dear
• Anna Ternheim
• Yuki Chikudate
• Indie Rock and Indie Pop
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

New York-based Asobi Seksu initially established themselves as weavers of densely layered pop dreamscapes, thoroughly atmospheric with a serious My Bloody Valentine fixation, yet fueled by James Hanna's furious, noise-guitar assault; all with pint-sized Yuki Chikudate's immense voice soaring amidst the fray. The core duo took an abrupt turn on 2008's appropriately dubbed Hush, replacing the aggressive guitars with cool synths, up-front vocals, and a new emphasis on the songs. Now, AS apparently have shifted gears again, going for mostly acoustic instrumentation on their forthcoming Rewolf (due in November), and consequently billing this as an acoustic performance. Opening will be Sweden's Emil Svanängen, who essentially is Loney Dear, and who knows his way around finely honed folk-pop atmospherics, too. Svanängen accompanies his bittersweet ruminations on romance with sweet melodies and sufficient pop confections to keep things interesting with bright epiphanies and dark undercurrents. Fellow Swede Anna Ternheim won a Swedish Grammy for Leaving on a Mayday, produced by Bjorn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John fame, and released stateside in August. Its prevailing sound is lush, autumnal folk-pop with plenty of zinging strings for dramatic effect, setting up poetic confessionals etched by Ternheim's cool but ingratiating voice. 18+.
Fri., Oct. 9, 8 p.m., 2009