Asobi Seksu is an American shoegaze/dream pop band from NYC that formed in 2001. The name translates as "play sex". The main singer is Yuki Chikudate. The band went on indefinite hiatus in 2013.

tek's rating: ¾

Asobi Seksu
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This is the band's first album, self-released in 2002. (I have a 2004 reissue by Friendly Fire Recordings.) It comes in a digipak instead of a jewel case.

1. "I'm Happy But You Don't Like Me": Despite the title being in English, the lyrics are in Japanese. This is a song I heard on the radio once and really liked, so it made me interested in hearing more from the band, which is why I bought this CD. On its own, I'd probably rate this about four smileys.

2. "Sooner": This one's in English. It's nice enough.

3. "Umi De No Jisatsu": According to Google Translate this means "suicide at sea". The lyrics are in Japanese. It sounds okay, but I'm not really into it.

4. "Walk on the Moon": I think this was the main single off the album. It's in English. Now that I listen to it again, I guess I kind of remember it, but I didn't before I listened to the CD to review it. I guess I like it, but not as much as the first track.

5. "Let Them Wait": In English. This time a guy (James Hanna) is singing instead of Chikudate. It's okay, but I'm not really into it.

6. "Taiyo": Google Translate didn't translate this, but just googling it I found it could mean "sun" or "ocean". It's in Japanese, and I kind of like it.

7. "It's Too Late": This is the longest track, at 7:17. It's in English, but there are long stretches without any singing. It's mostly slower and more downbeat than most of the songs, and it's kind of depressing. But it's not bad.

8. "End at the Beginning": In English, the guy is singing again. It's not bad, but I'm not really into it.

9. "Asobi Masho": Google translates this as "let's play". It's the shortest track, at 1:25. It's in Japanese, and the title gets repeated a lot. I don't know what to think of the song.

10. "Stay": It's in English, and features both singers. It's another slow song. It's okay.

11. "Before We Fall": It's in English, and Hanna is singing again. I'm not that into it.

Well, all the songs sound okay to me, but most of them are just okay. The only one I really find memorable is the first one, which remains by far my favorite. Both singers are good, but I prefer Chikudate.