Asobi Seksu has seen quite a change in lineup over the years.  What remains consistent though in both the studio and onstage would be Yuki Chikudate on vocals and keyboards and James Hanna on guitars and vocals.  For those unfamiliar, Yuki sings in both English and Japanese.  I love how singing in a different language seems to bring about a sort of newness to the way lyrics would roll out.  The unfamiliar nature of having to listen to a foreign language set to music can bring about a new layer of mystique.

What the core duo explored for a new album release is the experiment of reworking their psychedelic shoegazey pop into a more stripped-down affair.  Thus the Acoustic At Olympic Studios album.  Peeling away the layers of distortion and heavy drums would reveal the delicate nakedness of the arrangements on steel-string guitar and piano.  Yuki's vocals also shine with brilliance as a result of the sparse sonic backdrop.

Compare and contrast today's feature, New Years, between the audio from the record and the clip.  The differences stand out.  Check out the Citrus album for the original studio version.

The band will be on tour outside of the US over the next few weeks.

New Years (live acoustic) - Asobi Seksu