For those who long for the embrace of shoegaze’s swirling guitar fuzz (or were simply too young to catch it the first time around), it’s easy to lionize revivalist outfits like Asobi Seksu. Unfortunately, Hush actually finds the New York band stripping down its wall of noise. While the guitars still shimmer and Yuki Chikudate’s vocals lightly float throughout the record, turning down the distortion pedal was not the best move, as Hush is simply too clean for its own good. Even when album standouts “Familiar Light” and “Sunshowers” pleasantly recall The Cocteau Twins, one can’t help but wonder how much better they could have been with some ear-splitting noise thrown into the mix.