Words: Ryan Getz
Over past few years of being involved with this business/culture, I have run into few artists with as distinctive a sound as Kishi Bashi. The violin protege had me transfixed with his unique brand of orchestral pop from the second I began watching during a Fashion Meets Music Festival afterparty two years ago. In addition Mr. Ishibashi crafting some killer songs and doing crazy things with a violin and a looping pedal, I enjoyed the whole band’s stage presence – particularly Mike Savino with his spacey “banjotron” instrument.
Let’s chat about this album’s title for a second. “Sonder” is defined as “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own,” and lust best defined, in the context of this record, as “a passionate or overmastering desire or craving.” So, what is Sonderlust?
The whole of the record giving us clues. The songs (oh yes, the songs!) and even the intricately designed album art gives us things to ponder. One might come to the conclusion that Kishi Bashi is consumed by a zest for life – not just in the general sense, but in the beauty of each person’s story. This joy is present in every song, even those that are more subdued, like “Flame on Flame,” which isn’t really sad but rather leaves an impression like smoldering embers after a particularly enjoyable bonfire. He isn’t content to leave quietly though, instead concluding the album with the carefree, breezy “Honeybody.” It’s the sort of effect that is ideal for a dude like me to circle back to the springlike album opener “m’lover.”
In fact, the more I think about it, an idea feels like the truth. One could start listening at just about any point on the record and listening all the way through wouldn’t feel awkward.
It’s worth noting the circumstances in which the album arose. Kishi Bashi doesn’t delve into a lot of detail, but he does share that Sonderlust came to the be in the midst of personal turmoil – difficulty in personal relationships and creative walls. The experimentalism and resulting sound on this record seems to be a rather artful articulation of thinking outside the box by necessity, and then the inherent joy for the musician. Which makes Sonderlust inspiring to listen to. Plus, who doesn’t love it when you hear old-school Nintendo effects used effectively in a song (that’s “Say Yeah” by the way).
In terms of outright artistic creativity, Sonderlust is up there with Polyenso and Silent Planet’s releases for me this year. Get on it, people!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43YYye5y6xo[/youtube]
0 Comments