Weekly Release Spotlight: Kishi Bashi
Posted on 3/25/2012
Kishi Bashi
151a
Joyful Noise
151a
Joyful Noise
“I haven’t been this alive in long time” begins the chorus of “Manchester” on violinist K Ishibashi’s (aka Kishi Bashi) debut full length release 151a. In the doldrums of winter break and some rather dismal weather, Kishi Bashi’s music refreshes the mind, as if Ishibashi were composing the colors and flavors of a new, vernal season. The Of Montreal violinist, as well as vocalist/founding member of the band Jupiter One, funded the album via an online Kickstarter project that drastically surpassed its goal thanks to heavy online listener support.
It is easy to categorize Ishibashi as foremost a violinist, but he is truly a multi-instrumentalist - performing emotionally awe-inspiring vocals and an array of effortlessly played string patterns. Rather than limiting the album’s sound, Ishibashi has found more ways of producing sound with one instrument than most do with a full band. The first song on the album, “Intro/Pathos, Pathos” emphasizes the strength of the album: its refreshingly innocent, fragile sound, which is delicate, yet deliciously artistic. This soft, ambiguous quality of the album allows for the listener to take their own interpretation to each song, without much thematic direction. “Manchester” begins as a beautifully harmonic story, ending in a catchy chorus more akin to Paul McCartney’s vocals than Of Montreal. “Bright Whites” is perhaps the most Of Montreal-inspired track, going back to their more synth-oriented work. Ishibashi’s vocal work stretches from low harmonies to shrill falsettos. “It All Began With a Burst” is an upbeat, jovial track that served as the single for the album. The mixture of looped harmonies and Eastern-style violin inspire pure joy like a modern version of Peer Gynt. “Wonder Woman, Wonder Me” slows and lowers the pace down to smooth layers of operatic vocals on top of organ and looped vocal chords. “I am The Antichrist to You,” perhaps the most orchestral track of 151a, creates a sound more apt to an orchestra hall than a local rock venue. The last and longest song, “Beat the Bright Out of Me” emphasizes the two biggest thematic elements: brightness and bursting, which serves as the best explanation of Kishi Bashi’s artistic direction.
Ultimately the album serves as something beyond music; to accurately describe 151a you need an artistic vocabulary. Ishibashi weaves a tapestry of colors and textures of music with surprising complexity. Not only are these threads of music aesthetically-pleasing, but they sync tightly together because of Ishibashi’s loop-style, one-man-band performance, giving the album a uniquely pure quality. Perfect for an early spring release, 151a has burst brightly on to the music scene. The album boasts intentionally ambiguous, adventurous lyrics, and as a result, some have been quick in calling the album experimental, though the sound seems natural (almost nature-like) and masterfully produced – and I for one do not want to deter another release by Kishi Bashi in the future, despite commitments to Of Montreal and Jupiter One.
Kishi Bashi - "Bright Whites"