Song of the Day: Kishi Bashi, Hey Big Star

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Last time I heard from Kishi Bashi was back in 2012, when he gave a great Tiny Desk concert. That is, of course, years ago. The multi-instrumentalist has released tracks and albums each year since that time, always with his signature dobos-torte-like multilayer offerings, orchestrating bewildering melodies, soaring choruses, and dazzling loop samplings.

“Hey Big Star” is something on the leaner side, however. While it’s still no slouch at filling in the silence (there IS none), it does so quite a bit more efficiently than its predecessors. When the choir chimed in at 2:30, it took me back almost 80 years to the opulent Mandarin parties on the banks of the river in Shanghai. Alas, failing to be alive at that time, where it really transported me was a karaoke bar.

Sonderlust, Kishi Bashi’s next album from which “Hey Big Star” issues, will be out on September 16th.

Posted on by Gary in Everything, Song of the Day