Asobi Seksu

Fluorescence, Polyvinyl Records ***

Three years ago, Asobi Seksu were in the midst of New York's nu-hipster revolution. Yet while Animal Collective and their like agitated international territories, this Japanese-American duo remained something of an underground hit. For their fourth album, Yuki Chikudate and James Hanna have shifted the sonic strategy somewhat. Their whirring shoegaze foundations remain, but tempered with a lightness of touch that furnishes songs such as In My Headand Sighswith a deft pop bent. Rhythm also plays a major role here, whether it's the off-kilter pattern of My Girlor Hanna's staid beat breaking through the sci-fi squall of Deep Weird Sleep.When all is said and done, though, Fluorescence's steady course makes it seem more like a film soundtrack than an album. Maybe that's what Asobi Seksu wanted. See asobiseksu. com

Download tracks: Sighs, Trails