Omoiyari

Album review

The fluttery indie-pop that acclaimed violinist Kaoru Ishibashi makes under the name Kishi Bashi has always been fantastically bright, texturally rich, and celebratory. Omoiyari is his fourth full-length since adopting the moniker in 2012 (he founded the popular 2000s indie-rock group Jupiter One and then spent time as a violinist in Of Montreal) and it's a decidedly folky detour for a project that's always been steeped in swirls of keyboards. Side A pop shuffles like "Angeline," "F Delano," and "A Song for You" are dressed for a wide audience, but they're still bristly and compositionally authentic folk songs at their cores.

However, the most compelling material arrives in the album's back-half, beginning with the teary memoir "Theme from Jerome (Forgotten Words)," a verse of which is sung in Japanese (his parents’ native language). "A Meal For Leaves" is an atmospheric instrumental number that introduces the strikingly intense, and fittingly titled, "Violin Tsunami," the most climactic and dense track on the record. But Ishibashi chose to end with the minimalist, appalachian bluegrass bop, "Annie, Heart Thief of the Sea." It's a joyous, hand-clapping sing-along that achieves the magnificent radiance of his catalog's busiest songs with half the instruments and a quarter of the studio polishing. It's a testament to the strength of his songwriting, and a crystallization of the collective spirit his music inspires. © Eli Enis / Qobuz