Omoiyari＜White Vinyl＞

After establishing an effervescent, kaleidoscopic quality to indie rock arrangements built on manipulated violin loops on his first two albums, Kishi Bashi (K Ishibashi) returned in 2016 with Sonderlust. A more refined effort produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor, it relied more heavily on electronics without abandoning strings or his trademark flutter. With his fourth album, the self-produced Omoiyari, Ishibashi tweaks his palette again, settling into a lush, orchestral folk created with contributions from guests including touring bandmembers Nick Ogawa (aka Takenobu) on cello and Mike Savino (aka Tall Tall Trees) on banjo and bass. This approach and the album itself were the results of Ishibashi's involvement with the documentary Omoiyari: A Songfilm (2020). A reaction to anti-immigrant political rhetoric, the film considers sentiments that permitted the internment of over 100,000 Japanese-American citizens during WWII. ("Omoiyari" is the idea that thinking about others promotes compassion.) Given the solemn nature of the album's inspirations, Omoiyari's songs are surprisingly sweet and often playful, if also poignant. That includes the opening track, "Penny Rabbit and Summer Bear," a wistful fable about separation with a gentle, rippling acoustic arrangement. It's quickly contrasted by the literal "F Delano" and lyrics that revisit some of the flaws of a popular president. (Among them, FDR ordered the internments following the attack on Pearl Harbor.) The song's music is remarkably jaunty considering, a decision Ishibashi has said was meant to reflect the complicated realities surrounding Roosevelt. Elsewhere, the orchestral "Summer of '42" is an epic song about love and loss replete with swirling flute and Ishibashi's soaring falsetto, and "Marigolds" captures his more typical blend of folk-pop, chamber pop, and prog rock. There are more surprises on the album, including a Dvorak reference ("Violin Tsunami"), the quasi-instrumental "A Meal for Leaves," and closer "Annie, Heart Thief of the Sea," a piano-banjo rag captured live in the studio. It's a moving album throughout, one by a multifaceted musician whose songwriting outshines even artful arrangements. ~ Marcy Donelson