Kishi Bashi

As one of the parties involved with the latest Of Montreal album, Paralytic Stalks, it would be fair to assume that Kishi Bashi's debut was going to be a weird, messy release. But it turns out that K. Ishibashi (the lone contributor to 151a) might have been the stabilizing factor that kept Kevin Barnes in check because this is an impressively restrained piece of work. That doesn't mean there isn't any place for creativity ― the album brings together many styles and influences. Considering Ishibashi's primary instrument of choice is the violin (although he plays everything here and produced the album), there are lots of strings on 151a. When it starts, the overt prettiness and ornate, layered arrangements are very reminiscent of Owen Pallett, but very soon it veers of in some lovely tangents, although it inevitably comes back to string-laden, experimental pop. Among all the harmonies and intricacies, Ishibashi's mixture of Japanese and English lyrics have just the right hint of mysteriousness, and his time spent with Of Montreal has yielded some fruit. He is definitely one to watch.