Here’s the interview I did back in August with Yuki Chikudate — singer, keyboard player, and general shower-offer of loveliness — of Asobi Seksu. Ever since I heard their sophomore album Citrus back in May, I’ve loved this quartet — art school poise, swirling, effervescent harmonies, distorted guitars, effortless pop melodies, a strong penchant for both early 90s shoegaze and 60s girl groups — and their live show back in September proved their musical adeptness.
Popcorn Youth: For a lot of people, Asobi Seksu is presented as being this band from New York City, but I know that you’re originally from LA. Do you find that the music scene in southern California is very different? Do you bring something different than the other guys? What’s it like being identified as part of this “NYC scene”?
Yuki Chikudate: Well, I haven’t lived in Socal for a long, long time. I left when I was 16 so I really don’t know anything about their music scene. (Laughs) You know, I was too young at that point to be involved on that level, but I like Earlimart and Elliott Smith, and I think a lot of good music comes out of California. But the NYC scene? I don’t really know if there’s a “scene” per se, but there are definitely a lot of bands. It’s always been ripe with so many bands and yeah, we know some bands and we’re friendly with them, but I wouldn’t say that there’s necessarily a “scene” or anything collaborative going on. So we’re supportive of each other and we’ll go to each other shows, but I don’t really think it’s a “scene.”
Popcorn Youth: Right. You’re from LA, and I read that Asobi Seksu also incorporated elements of J-pop. Was that your idea or something that you grew up with?
Yuki: Well, J-pop is mainstream Japanese pop and I can say that I am definitely not a fan of mainstream Japanese pop. (Laughs) You know, in high school and college I definitely liked the Japanese take on indie rock, things like that, and stuff like Cornelius.
Popcorn Youth: Cornelius isn’t J-pop, is he?
Yuki: Right, I mean that’s why I don’t understand why people say that we incorporate J-pop, because I think they’re actually referring to those musicians and that scene. I don’t know anything about J-pop. I went to Japanese school when I was younger, and I did not fit in. I didn’t know all those cool J-pop bands.
Popcorn Youth: Oh I know, exactly! I’m from San Diego, and my parents made me go to Chinese school, and it was a total disaster! (Laughs) If you don’t know those little cultural markers, it’s impossible to be a cool Asian kid from Southern California.
Yuki: I know, it was impossible. I was the target, you know, like, “She’s not really Japanese!” That school was really for Japanese families that would come to Los Angeles for several years for a visit and then go back to Japan. It was really for actual Japanese kids, and I did not fit in. I had no idea!
Popcorn Youth: Is Asobi Seksu planning on touring overseas? Are any of your albums going to be released in Japan?
Yuki: Yeah, actually. I think, for the first time, we’re going to try things internationally, and that’s pretty exciting for us. We’re going to be released in Japan in November, and Korea (but I don’t know when that’s coming out), and also Australia and New Zealand. We’re also figuring out the UK and Europe.
Popcorn Youth: Are you signed with a British label right now?
Yuki: No, we’re not, but we do have several people that we’re talking to. But we’re figuring that out, and we would love to go to the UK and tour Europe.
Popcorn Youth: Well, here’s sort of a specific question and then a bigger question which I’m sure you hear all the time, but, on your first album, the song “Sooner,” is that your band’s response to “Soon” on Loveless? I’m sure you get asked that all the time, but I think we’re all curious! (Laughs)
Yuki: (Laughs) Well, when we started as a band, we were basically interested in exploring shoegaze-type textures. We were really interested in expressing ourselves through noise. So we figured, hey, we love this band, and we want to write a song basically as an homage, and people just kind of took it out of context. And for me, it was kind of strange, where everyone was saying, “Oh, they’re just like My Bloody Valentine!” and I’m like, “That was one song, and yes, we have adopted some of those textures.” But I think that we definitely have brought our own take and put our own spin on the music that we grew up with and that we love.
Popcorn Youth: Yeah, and that was kind of the bigger question that I was going to ask. The way I feel about how the first album and the second album relate is that with Citrus, for example, the vocals are a lot louder in the mix than traditional Shoegaze, I would say.
Yuki: Right, right.
Popcorn Youth: So it seems more like classic pop. It’s beautiful pop music. But there’s definitely this noisy element, with the distortion and with the feedback. But I mean, “neo-shoegaze” or “second wave shoegaze,” that’s not something that you would want to identify yourselves as, right?
Yuki: No, I don’t think so. I mean, we love all those bands, and definitely James [Hanna] the guitarist was in high school and college was definitely influenced by all those bands like Flying Saucer Attack. He was the one who like, “Dude, you have to listen to this!” He was into that stuff at a pretty young age, and it was just something that sparked his interest and made him want to make music, so that’s going to stay with him. It’s going to influence the music that we make but at the same time we have no interest in being a “shoegaze” band or a band that brings shoegaze back, you know what I mean?
Popcorn Youth: And if I think about what bands would be defined as “bringing shoegaze back” I think of bands like Autolux and Serena Maneesh, and you don’t sound anything like them, really.
Yuki: I mean, I don’t think so, but I do think that we get pigeonholed that way. We have no interest in making sprawling abstract noise, you know what I mean? (Laughs) We want to continue it within a pop structure. That’s what we really want to do, and I think we’re finally starting to do that, especially with the second album. With the first album, we were still experimenting and I don’t think we were that successful, but I think that’s we’re starting to become more confident with where we’re going.
Popcorn Youth: Are you surprised by how you much positive reception you’ve gotten from Citrus? I mean, the record is absolutely everywhere! How are you dealing with that?
Yuki: You know, I don’t know. When you’re on the other side, it doesn’t feel that way, I mean I don’t know what will make me think out loud, “Wow, we’re successful.” I don’t know when that moment is going to strike, but I guess that’ll come when I’m thinking of living off what we’re doing. (Laughs)
Popcorn Youth: So right now, you can’t say that’s the only thing you can do? Does everyone have jobs on the side?
Yuki: Yeah. I mean, we’re getting close to that point, but we’re definitely in a grey area where we sacrifice and we put all of our money into [Asobi Seksu], but we haven’t seen any return yet. We hope that it will pay off. (Laughs) So yeah, it’s hard to say whether we’re surprised by the success. Definitely we’re really happy that people think they really like this album and that there are positive reviews out there, but we’re definitely hoping that this pays off in a real way.
Popcorn Youth: Besides being pleasurable in an aural way, you also have a very interesting visual element. What’s the band’s connection to Sean MacCabe and all the artwork?
Yuki: Well, before we met Sean we were so immersed in the songwriting and just basically working on our musicianship. (Laughs) So we were really focused and we really didn’t think that much of our image or the way we should present ourselves. Which is a shame, it was a mistake, and he was the one who brought that to our attention. He said, “Okay, I like the music that you make, and I’m a fan of your band, but you guys really need to make an effort into presentation.” So he was the one who kind of woke us up and said, “Come on! Get it together here!” (Laughs) He does a really great job. He was the one who basically created that image for us, that we all collaborated on. First he started making those posters of us, and then we started collaborating on the cover album artwork and that was when we really solidified our “look,” so to speak. It’s hard to take that kind of too seriously though. I mean, we don’t want to come across looking like we’re wearing costumes, you know? (Laughs)
Popcorn Youth: You’ve have never played in Ithaca before, and you guys will be playing at Cornell University. Ithaca is a really small town, and that means that most likely you’ll be playing in a relatively smaller venue, like a cafeteria or rec center or coffeehouse space. So have you guys played at schools before? How do you feel about smaller venues versus larger venues?
Yuki: Right. Well, we’ve played at colleges before, and we’ve played in cafeterias. (Laughs) We’ve played on quads, we’ve played in rec rooms, and actually, they were all pretty fun! It’s nice to have an intimate, enthusiastic crowd. We’ve always loved college shows, although playing on the quad in broad daylight was a little weird. (Laughs) It was orientation week at Northeastern, and it was really bizarre, like parents were there and they were walking by, and then they would run away really fast. (Laughs) But, you know, we enjoy playing college shows.
Popcorn Youth: And they’ll change that space up a lot so it doesn’t seem weird at all, I mean it’ll be dark, for one thing.
Yuki: Actually, we’ve played shows in a brightly lit cafeteria! (Laughs)
Popcorn Youth: (Laughs) Well, it won’t be like that, I promise.
Yuki: I mean, people were eating lunch. And we’re like, “What the hell are we doing here?”
Popcorn Youth: I’m sure whatever space they pick will be really appropriate. I remember when The Rapture played in this cleared out cafeteria, and it didn’t feel like a cafeteria at all, because hundreds of people were dancing, and it transformed the space. So the potential is there to make it whatever you want. So what do you love about live performances that you don’t necessarily get or capture in a recording studio?
Yuki: Well, the chemistry onstage is something that I absolutely need. (Laughs) That feeling you get when you’re performing with other people is indescribable and irreplaceable. I don’t think you can get that in any other way. You have to perform on stage to get that. I do love performing and I just like making music with my friends, and that’s really what it feels like when you’re on stage, so it’s something that I absolutely need to do. And obviously while making albums is a great experience, the energy that you get onstage and that you share with the other musicians, is something that basically keeps you going on the road because being on the road, is really, really difficult. (Laughs)
Popcorn Youth: I bet. You’re beginning your tour in September. Tell me about it.
Yuki: We’re probably going to be on the road until the end of November, so it’s going to be a long one. (Laughs)
Popcorn Youth: Is this your first major tour since Citrus?
Yuki: Well, we’ve been on nationwide tours before, but this is definitely the largest extent of touring that we’ve ever done. It should be challenging. I’m not too worried because we’ve survived so much; we were able to survive a really horrible tour last spring. So I know that if we are able to get through that, we can get through this tour, even though it’s a lot longer. (Laughs)
Popcorn Youth: I’ve read some reviews of live performances, and I was wondering if it bothers you, this sense of a very particular kind of cultural stereotyping where you’re a woman in a band with other white men—
Yuki: Well, that’s not true! (Laughs) Our bassist is not white, actually, he’s Iranian!
Popcorn Youth: (Laughs) Okay, well, to speak more precisely, you’re a Japanese-American woman in an all-male band, and I’ve read pieces that have compared you to bands that sound nothing like Asobi Seksu, everything from Blonde Redhead to Deerhoof to Enon, and it seems all so irrelevant and unnecessary.
Yuki: Right.
Popcorn Youth: Is that something that you think about or that you’ve noticed?
Yuki: I definitely notice that. There are so many things that people say that have no relevance whatsoever, but people are going to say what they want to say, and they’re going to go for the obvious thing, and that’s the way that I look and the way that those other women look. So that’s the first thing those men will see and will write about, and I think it’s unfortunate, but at the same time you can’t really control what they’re going to say. You don’t want to come across as being too defensive, you know? So I think it’s silly. (Laughs) And they only do that kind of comparison with women, unfortunately.
Popcorn Youth: Absolutely.
Yuki: And women are criticized in a way that men aren’t. So it is unfortunate, but what can you do, it’s a male world when it comes to rock music. (Laughs) So as a woman you feel scrutinized in a way that men don’t have to deal with, but you just kind of roll with it, and know that people are going to say bullshit and you just have to deal with it.
Popcorn Youth: Since you guys have been around, this atmosphere of mp3 downloading, you tube, myspace, this culture of internet community, has, for better or for worse, totally changed how people approach music and listen to music and buy music. So what does this means for your band?
Yuki: I really don’t know. I think it’s just another medium for people to basically find out about bands and share their opinions. I think it’s another forum for people to discuss music. I don’t really pay attention to that, I do miss the days of sharing CDs and trading tapes with your friends, you know? Where things were still… I don’t really download anything. I have an iPod, but I actually kind of hate it, I have a love-hate relationship with it. (Laughs) I bought it because we’re on the road all the time and I lose my mind being stuck in a car for hours and hours and days and days at a time, so I bought it basically because it’s necessary. But honestly, it’s been dead for a whole week, and I haven’t even bothered charging it! (Laughs) I kind of hate this thing! I honestly still buy CDs and I still buy vinyl and I still even have tapes. (Laughs)
Popcorn Youth: That’s pretty old school. (Laughs)
Yuki: Exactly, but I miss those days! I love having the actual thing in your hand and being able to buy it in the store, and buying the artwork, and taking it out of its sleeve, and putting it on. I just miss that process. And when you’re looking through your iPod, I mean everything… I don’t know if you feel this way at all, but everything starts to sound the same. It kind of blends together, I mean, what am I even listening to?! (Laughs)
Popcorn Youth: I definitely also have a love-hate relationship with my iPod because for me what its done is I don’t really listen to an entire CD anymore…
Yuki: I know.
Popcorn Youth: …whereas I used to buy CDs and I would listen to it on my Discman, the entire thing, beginning to end, and now I’m just like “shuffle..shuffle..next.”
Yuki: Exactly.
Popcorn Youth: It just emphasizes my ADD/skipping-around tendencies.
Yuki: Exactly, you know, I use the shuffle, but at the same time, it just makes it so easy for me to be like, “Skip skip skip skip” and I’m not even listening anymore!
Popcorn Youth: With listening, I’m not as disciplined as I have been before.
Yuki: Exactly. When I listen to music, I like to sit there, and I like to put the album on and look at the artwork while it’s playing, you know what I mean? So I think it’s a shame. I know that [the internet] is great for smaller bands like us because it’s a great way for smaller bands to be exposed. It’s a worldwide way to expose new music to an audience you would never reach otherwise, but I think it’s a shame. I think it devalues the music, but I’m not going to criticize too much because it has helped us a lot, so I guess I have mixed feelings. (Laughs)
Popcorn Youth: You guys do have a following in the UK, and you don’t have a release out there, but people are listening.
Yuki: Exactly.
Popcorn Youth: What kind of music have you been listening to lately, or stuff that’s come out in 2006 that you’ve liked?
Yuki: Well, let’s see… I really like Calla’s new album, I heard it for the first time when we decided to work with Chris. He played it for me, and I loved it from the first time I heard it. Honestly I’ve been buying a lot of old stuff, like I just bought The Supremes, some Pete Donovan live stuff, some singles on vinyl. I guess I’m guilty, I haven’t really gotten into anything new in a while, but I’m not going to force it, too. But for example, when everyone was really hot on Brian Jonestown, I was like, “Ughhh!! I can’t listen, I don’t know what it is or what it sounds like, but I’m gonna ignore it!” (Laughs) But then I listened to them a couple months ago, and I was like, “Damn, they’re awesome!”
Popcorn Youth: I just saw their DVD recently, actually.
Yuki: Just like everyone else, I saw that and that was how I got into them. But it’s true, I saw it and it was like, “Yeah, this is kind of awesome.” But when they were really hot I was like “Oh my god, please!” (Laughs) So the more people talk about bands, I just can’t really get into it. I guess I don’t even really try. Maybe someday I’ll try to listen Beirut and be blown away, I don’t know. (Laughs) But I haven’t really gotten into anything new in a while, no.
Popcorn Youth: Within the dynamic of the guys in the band, do you all have your own individual specific tastes? Do you have a chance to introduce new music to each other?
Yuki: Well, it crosses over, I guess. I’m the one that loves all the old stuff, and I’ll try to get the guys to listen to The Shirelles and The Supremes, and they’ll be like “Okay, well, this is awesome!” James and Haji, they got me into The Melvins and The Cramps, and so we do influence each other. I mean Haji was the one who was like, “I know that you’re a skeptic, but you have to listen to Brian Jonestown, it’s amazing.”
Popcorn Youth: Well, it’s the best kind of forum, you know, all your friends sharing music. I guess it happens within any circle of friends.
Yuki: Right. Well, I don’t know if they’re cool, but…. (Laughs)