Asobi Seksu
January 17th, Swedish American Hall, San Francisco

It was difficult not to be charmed by Asobi Seksu front woman Yuki Chikudate as she walked down the aisle of the dimly-lit hall and onto the stage, dressed in the same delicate pink confection worn on the cover of their 2009 release Hush. Chikudate was small, appearing much less enigmatic than I had remembered when I had seen them perform before. Recognized as one of the bands to bring back shoegaze, Asobi Seksu have achieved a stunning pop sound which, when translated on stage, makes for a spectacular live show—not unlike those of former legendaries My Bloody Valentine. But with the keyboard removed and the reverb and effects stripped, I began to wonder if tonight’s acoustic set taking place in the intimate setting of San Francisco’s Swedish Hall would be compared to the epic live performances they are known for.

The band explained at the beginning of the set that the acoustic tour was to promote their latest album Rewolf, which was recorded at London’s renowned Olympic Studios at the request of their manager—a suggestion that I imagine the band was quite grateful for (shortly after the recording was released, the studio closed down). Appearing on stage with Chikudate on vocals, piano, toy piano, and xylophone were her bandmates, switching their usual gear for acoustic guitars and a small drum set.

The show started out with “Breathe into Glass”, a B-side off of the Me & Mary seven-inch, which set the tone for the night with its fragile, dream-like quality. I was left temporarily disenchanted shortly after, when the band performed a cover of Hope Sandoval’s “Suzanne”; a rendition which seemed far too similar to the original, and lacked the warmth of Sandoval’s lush vocal. But the show quickly kicked in with a re-imagining of “Gliss”, which carried an anxious energy with the added drama of a slowly beaten drum.

As the hour progressed, Chikudate seemed to become more comfortable with the small crowd and took a moment in between songs to give little anecdotes regarding the inspiration of some of their songs. Especially entertaining was the story behind “Blind Little Rain”, which was conceived by guitarist James Hanna while the group was intoxicated and wandering along the cliffs of Martha’s Vineyard. Despite the anecdote (or perhaps because of it) the song was more beautiful than I remember, conjuring images of beaches, ravaged by the crashing waves of the Atlantic.

Of course, the favorite of the set was the acoustic version of “Thursday”, which was apparently performed the way it had been originally written. The acoustic rendering possessed the translucence of bittersweet piano classics, such as Francoise Hardy’s “Il N’y A Pas D’amour Heureux.” Chikudate’s lyrics combining love and nature were particularly disarming (“The autumn wind feels / As if it were you / And swayed through the fields / Where I once held you”) as her airy vocal floated in and out of the lulling melody.

By the end of the evening, I realized that the absence of distorted electric guitars and consuming awe of Asobi Seksu’s plugged-in live show did not change the nature of their sound. It was merely a naked re-imagination of the same dream that now perhaps resounded with more clarity. A dream that beauty, no matter how vividly painted, still exists at the heart of Asobi Seksu’s music.

Watch: “Thursday” [at youtube.com]

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