Live: Asobi Seksu/Mates of State

I'm not sure if I know many people who enjoy waiting through a set by a band they have never heard of before the act I paid to see takes the stage. I certainly don't. Even in the case of bands that are halfway decent, my impatience tend to get the best of me. I have even been bored through sets of bands that I really enjoy when I anticipate the headliner more. This concert was no exception. It certainly seemed like whoever was about to warm up for Mates of State, couldn't possible impress or entertain me. And with a name like Asobi Seksu, I was pretty sure nothing good could come of the situation. However, it turns out that every so often the planets align themselves in such a way that even I turn out to be wrong. Don't get me wrong, this does not happen often and when it does I am just as surprised as everyone else. Ego aside, it didn't take me long to realize that the New York based Asobi Sesku are a pretty solid act.

Let me get this out of my system before I actually provide a semi-coherent analysis of their show: Asobi Seksu is like My Bloody Valentine meets Sigur Ros, while wishing they were Sonic Youth, and, maybe just because I've been listening to them quite a bit lately, a touch of TV on the Radio. Now that I got all of my pretension out of my system (or at least as much as I can in one sitting at least), we can proceed.

My initial reaction to Asobi Seksu was that we were in too small of a venue to fully capture the breadth of their sound. With synths and distorted, reverberating guitars, the band created a unique and cohesive sound that seemed too large, chaotic and beautiful to be confined to a room slightly larger than a walk in closet. Each instrument weaved into the others and yet, the different elements retained their own value in a way that separated them from the others. During the set I was entranced. It was one of those rare occasions where something you are hearing makes it so you can't look away. What I am trying to say is: this band is good. All of this and the headliners hadn't even taken the stage yet.

The last time I saw Mates of State was at Lollapalooza on a side stage and the brutally hot weather made it difficult to enjoy their music. Due to the conditions and size of the audience, their performance did not pull me in as much as I had hoped. I figured that if I had a chance to see them in a smaller venue, then I would be able to see Mates of State at their best. I was right.

Excuse my inability to be original, but a married couple playing pop music together is high on my list of Cutest Things Ever. I'm sorry, but it's true. They seemed just as excited to be playing music together as we were to hear it and despite an audience of fewer than a hundred people, Mates of State pumped out pop melodies like they were the biggest act in the industry. Their energy was equalled only by their humility, interacting with the crowd like they were playing a show for old friends even altering their set list on the spot to accommodate. After having fun with a number of dancier tracks, drummer Jason Hammel announced they were just going to keep playing dance songs for a while.

The couple's chemistry plays a big part in both their live show and their studio recordings. They alternate vocals and sing them more to each other than to the audience. On the recordings it adds another dimension to their particular brand of pop, and on stage it simply helps everyone else feel the love. Additonally, both will sneak glances at the other and let a little smirk slide. It is this subtle display affection that makes their music so genuine and lovable. Even though you can't see it on their albums, you can definitely hear it, and once you see the chemistry on stage you fall a little bit more in love with everything that Mates of State is.