Take Care: A Quick Review Of The New Single From SASAMI (Ex-Cherry Glazerr) And A Belated Review Of The Debut Album

The debut album from SASAMI (Sasami Ashworth) came out a few months ago but I stupidly didn't catch up with it until now. It wasn't until I heard the singer's newest single, "Take Care", that I decided to go back and listen to SASAMI. I instantly loved it, and instantly felt stupid for not listening to this record for so many months. Both SASAMI and the new single "Take Care" are out now via Domino.

If SASAMI opener "I Was a Window" sounds like anything, it's Aimee Mann. There's something rueful, not morose, here with Ashworth's vocals that suggests regret and world-weariness. Far better are the numbers on SASAMI that hint at what would have happened had Joni Mitchell recorded a dream-pop record. I mean, "Not This Time" is wonderfully modulated and still the sort of thing that transports a listener into the sort of realms those mid-Nineties Stereolab records reached. Elsewhere, while something like "Pacify My Heart" is fairly easy to enjoy, a number like "Morning Comes", with its faint hints of My Bloody Valentine coursing through its veins, is more immediately affecting. Sasami Ashworth has a real skill at crafting this material, and all throughout SASAMI, one hears flashes of other genres being expertly deployed, like flashes of funk in "Jealous", and bits of folk in "At Hollywood". Still, SASAMI is remarkably consistent and enveloping, with some selections here, notably "Callous", being rapturous, and others, like "Thought I Was Everyone", being quietly affecting and subtly adventurous.

SASAMI dropped a new single this week. "Take Care" / "Free" (Band Version) is out on Domino. The A-Side here is sublime, a neat blend of Seventies AOR mournfulness over an instrumental bed that is as good as something Jon Brion could come up with. This is a simple single that touches the heart, and gives chills in spots as it washes over you. The flip here, "Free" (Band Version), is a version of the SASAMI track that sounds like it was recorded live in the studio, a fact that gives the cut a little extra punch.

SASAMI and "Take Care" are out now via Domino.

More details on SASAMI via the official Facebook page, or the official website.

[Photo: Alice Baxley]