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Dispatches from the Highlands
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back at Kishi Bashi's unique arrival. It all began with a burst.... Jack White Fear of the Dawn
Album Notes from Erickson “The Soundtrack to your Chill”
Kishi Bashi 151a
We last received a studio o ering from Jack White in 2018, but long before then I gave
Today is a blast from the past, albeit one that is not too distant nor the most likely anniversary to be acknowledged.
up trying to decipher his persona. Intention- ally inscrutable, a man of many opinions but few interviews, the Detroit native seemingly strives to perplex when it comes to all things except his want to rock. And that he contin- ues to do, and succeed, on his own terms with this latest solo LP. Fear of the Dawn is one of those records I nd dicult to write about. Not because it is a masterpiece whose brilliance words fail to convey. Pièce de résistance it is not, although the majority of it is really damn good. It's just a lot to digest. Each listen unveils a new wrinkle of an album that fully personi es the low-end guitar ri maestro and his inherent weirdness. As confusing as the man may be, his attentiveness to sonic palette and top- notch production is never in doubt, and here those attributes abound in spades. Aer four years between each of his last two releases, fans won't have to wait long for the next one. Entering Heaven Alive is due in July. It might take me until then to wrap my head around Fear of the Dawn .
His third record, Sonderlust , was featured here shortly aer it was released in 2016. Two years later, we took a break from our regularly scheduled programming to travel back to 2014's Lighght . Now it's time to revisit the opening salvo. Consider this a slow burn in reverse chronological order to cover the opening trifecta, one that stylistically very much feels like a trilogy, of Kaoru Ishibashi's career. Better known as Kishi Bashi, insomuch as he is known at all, April 2012, saw the release of his stellar debut , 151a. e sounds that would become even more developed over the following years were laid clear ten years ago. An unlikely blend of folk/electro/pop from an adept violinist, the underlying trait is one of joy. Upliing, if occasionally campy, it's hard not to feel a sense of exuberance throughout the cinematic tone and arrangements of the native Seattleite's compositions. e 10th Anniversary Edition of 151a comes with the "Demo-arigato Version" of each song, along with two tunes not originally included. More traditional and acoustic in nature, both 2019's Omoiyari and the 2021 EP Emi- grant o er a fascinating study in contrast and demonstrate the range of Ishibashi's abilities and musical vision. If his catalog were played on shue, one might suspect those two most recent e orts marked the beginning of his career. Instead, as he enters his second decade as a recording artist, it's well worth a look
Wet Leg Wet Leg
"Wet Leg is an amalgamation of 90's alternative, a little Rubblebuck- et, and a skosh of Sleaford Mods"
is not a sentence I anticipated putting into existence. Yet, here we are. And there it is.
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