Album Review: Asobi Seksu - Fluorescence

Is shoegaze a genre that still possibly has some caves left to explore, seams to mine, shores to discover? Or did The Horrors place a full stop at the end of drone pop in 2009 with their mighty Primary Colours album? According to Asobi Seksu’s fourth record, there may not necessarily be much new ground left to cover, but there are certainly some stunning places to revisit, and maybe even revitalise a little.
 
Fluorescence is an eccentric distillation of myriad influences, leaping as it does from the Stereolab-like Euro keys of opener ‘Coming Up’ directly into the downright sexually-charged, overtly dramatic lead single ‘Trails’, which recalls Yeah Yeah Yeahs in their swaggering prime. Right from the off, then, it's like meeting someone who’s both wildly entertaining and simultaneously unable to hold the theme of a conversation for longer than a couple of minutes. Witness how the nursery-rhyme vocalising of ‘Leave The Drummer Out There’ is set against the Tangerine Dream-aping ‘Deep Weird Sleep’; or the way the worryingly-Keane-sounding intro of ‘Perfect Crystal’ somehow shifts seamlessly into Moroder keyboards and a big ol’ indie chorus that could have come courtesy of Lush.
 
Why doesn’t this magpie behaviour get annoying? Simple: charm and tunes, both of which are here in abundance. Album centrepiece ‘Sighs’ is an indie disco floor-filler in waiting, while old-school 4AD fans will likely be as pleased by the shimmering tremor of ‘Counterglow’ and post-rocking closer ‘Pink Lights’ as by the album's incandescent artwork, which comes courtesy of iconic Cocteaus/Pale Saints collaborator Vaughan Oliver. The melodies throughout are like little unpolished gems, shining themselves up just a little more with each listen.
 
So, while it would be wrong to credit Yuki Chikudate and James Hanna with much in the way of originality here, the band's recent shift from ‘full-on’ ‘gaze to more varied and interesting climes has benefited them greatly. While they may skip around subgenres like merry elves, and still borrow a good part of what they create, there is great composure, style and even joy to this sublime slice of dream pop.
 
Asobi Seksu may be incapable of staying aboard a train of thought for any length of time, but the journey certainly is beautiful.