Just in...Kishi Bashi: Lighght

   

    Two posts back to back (don't miss the previous one, Coldplay's Ghost Stories) Virginia native, Kishi Bashi, has been a member of many groups as a troubadour of sorts. He has performed violin, on which he was classically trained, with Sondre Lerche, Regina Spektor and of Montreal. Now, he's on his own for a sophomore release following up 151a (2012) with Lighght. The album just came out on Indiana based independent label, Joyful Noise Recordings, the 13th of May, and has quite lived up to my expectations. The title is taken from Aram Saroyen's minimalist one-word poem. I assume the one word is "Lighght". Kishi Bashi says he took the name because "The poem's blatant assault on literary convention and classical form was attractive to me."

    This release is clearly Kishi Bashi. Tons of layers, lots of violin and multiple vocals piled on top of each other in effective harmonies. I think his stuff works best in the studio, not so much live. I think Andrew Bird has him topped in that regard. Kishi Bashi has a more psychedelic folk tendency anyway, dipping into classic 70s rock with synthesizer and electronic touches. He also delves into the far east as you will hear on "Bittersweet Gensis for Him AND Her" and "Once Upon a Lucid Dream (in Afrikaans)", as well as more rustic folk with ukelele as on "Q&A".

    I will likely be listening to this album for a long time to come. Check out the entirety of Lighght on his Bandcamp site, here. Or just preview a bit with "Hahaha Pt. 2" over by the 'Monthly Sample Tracks' as I think it is one of the better overall representations of this album even though it may seem fragmented. Enjoy!

Upcoming: Coldplay: Ghost Stories

    I guess I'm just a sucker for Coldplay, because I have not stopped listening to Ghost Stories since it was put up on iTunes for pre-listening. Coming out on Parlophone Records in just a few days, May 19th, 2014, Coldplay now has six studio albums under their belt. This is about the time where we might expect them to disappear into history until twenty years from now when they go on a huge reunion tour or something. Who knows, we'll have to wait and see. The artwork is by Czech etching artist, Mila Fürstová, who did the cover you see above and much more for packaging and singles. There is going to be an exhibit in London of the work she did for Ghost Stories actually. She has been highly recognized at the Royal College of Art and is the youngest academic member of the Royal West of England Academy. An interesting note, Coldplay is going to perform an hour long concert on NBC on May 18th, which to my knowledge is not usually given a special time slot. Maybe if it was part of something else, like a late night show or Super Bowl.
    Apparently the album's theme has a lot to do with singer Chris Martin's now failed relationship with Gwenyth Paltrow, but a lot of the other members of the group contributed their own musical ideas to the album too. This is a marked difference to previous albums, where Chris Martin would ultimately produce the melodic material and everything would be built around it. Two reviews about Ghost Stories that I like are (1) from Billboard Magazine, by Jason Lipshutz, who describes the album as "an evocative concoction of sullen phrases, sparse arrangements and powerful themes"; and (2) Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly, who says the album "feels like a prequel to something better." Could be. I do kind of get a Prospekt's March kind of vibe from some of the songs on Ghost Stories, even though they are full length and not iotas.
    OK, the music: my favorite tracks are right in the middle to late part of the album. "True Love", "Midnight" (with its Jon Hopkins homage to an unreleased track called "Amphora" and parts of "The Fourth State II"), "Oceans", "A Sky Full of Stars" (which will undoubtedly become the most well loved on the album in popular circles with its clear EDM or Electronic Dance Music leanings) and the hauntingly lovely "O". All said, Ghost Stories leans toward the ambient side with some rhythmic hip hop nuances at times. Examples of this would be "Magic" and "True Love". The Deluxe version of Ghost Stories includes three more tracks, "All Your Friends", "Ghost Stories" and "O (Reprise)".
    Over under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks', check out the song "A Sky Full of Stars" embedded from MMMusic over on SoundCloud. I assume they have something to do with the release of Ghost Stories here in the US. Also stream the entire album on iTunes, here. Enjoy!