Kishi Bashi - 151a

By: Tom Dozois

What do the following artists have in common?

Animal Collective
Paul Simon
The Beatles
Erasure
Passion Pit
Andrew Bird
Of Montreal

Give up? You can hear bits and pieces of their sound at random times through-out Kishi Bashi’s album 151a:

• The first track, Intro/Pathos Pathos, has a little of that Paul Simon African feel.
• The second track, Manchester, reminds me of Erasure.
• The third track, Bright Whites, has Paul McCartney-esque vocals
• The fourth track, It All Began with a Burst, has the crazy percussion and obscure harmonies that are prevalent on Animal Collective albums.

I could go on an on…..

This description may seem completely random and hard to fathom, but while listening this potpourri of awesomeness it will all make perfect sense. Not only does Kishi Bashi manage to capture these incredible influences, he is able to make the album flow flawlessly via incredible string arrangements that pop the cork off of my champagne stick. Yes, Kishi Bashi is a fucking wiz at the violin. And at the risk of sounding a little gay and pretentious, I must say that every time that I turn on this album I’m transformed in to a feather that is fluttering in the wind. Damn you KISHI for making me use metaphors that strip away my masculinity!

Sadly I discovered this album after he came to Chicago (1 day after to be specific). And I hear that his live SOLO performances will blow the hairz off of your chodez. Bashi manages to capture the entire sound of the album through the use of drum machines, beat-boxing, loops and a violin. By HIMSELF… did I mention that his performances are SOLO? Watch the video below and tell me that you aren’t fucking amazed. Check out 151a and if you get the chance go see this adorable prick live. Grab one of those magnificent t-shirts for Timmy too; he takes an X-Small.