Back in 2012 Kishi Bashi released his debut album, 151a, to critical acclaim. And for good reason. It is an amazing stand alone studio album, striking a perfect balance of ambient noise and catchy pop hooks. . . think Animal Collective meets Andrew Bird. What I didn’t expect was how absolutely captivating it would be when looped and reperformed live. Seen here:
With his sophomore release, Lighght (pronounced “Light”), we are drawn into K. Ishibashi’s musical kaleidoscope once again, where every new piece takes a direction unexplored and unexpected. From the album’s avant garde opener (a 48 second looped violin solo) Debut – Impromptu, to the lush 7:00 minute closer, In Fantasia, it’s an epic journey of musical thought.
In the run up to today, the release date of Lighght, Kishi Bashi’s been out on the road promoting the album through a series of small, live performances. Recently, he recorded a quick acoustic session in a beautifully-overgrown abandoned railway in the heart of Paris during a short 2-day promotion stop. The highlight of the session for me was the acoustic version of Lighght‘s fifth track: Bittersweet Genesis for Him and Her. Check out the full acoustic session above.
Lighght has a lot to live up too, but it’s one of my most highly anticipated albums in 2014.
