Asobi Seksu / The Tales / Ann Driscoll January 30, 2010

Asobi Seksu, which in Japanese slang translates to "casual sex," is quite possibly the most perfectly named band. So often band names lack a meaningful connection with the sounds that they create, but Asobi Seksu creates a beautiful soundtrack for the act that they're named after. While Asobi Seksu's creative core explored music at an early age (lead vocalist/keyboardist Yuki Chikudate got standing ovations at child prodigy recitals when she was just 8; guitarist/vocalist James Hanna bounced between sludgy hardcore and Mogwai-schooled post-rock in his teens), their potential "career" wasn't put into perspective until a stint at the Manhattan School of Music. And by "put into perspective," we mean finding out what they didn't want to do. Soon after escaping the joyless world of sheet music and classical composition, Hanna began tackling dreamy-but-disorienting soundscapes for the first time. He quickly shifted his focus from singing to starry-eyed chords, however, with Chikudate falling into the frontwoman position without missing a beat. One thing Asobi Seksu has avoided is sheer shoegaze-pop revivalism. While they listen to a lot of into-the-ether music, Hanna and Chikudate are too obsessed with the expansive possibilities of sound to explore one well-treaded path.

Also appearing, The Tales and Ann Driscoll

Official Website: http://www.berklee.edu/events/detail/5539/asobi-seksu-the-tales-ann-driscoll