Track Listing/Listen Violin Akai Chiba Funk Late Night Comic Colorful State Escape from Knossos Icarus IV Hollywood Intermission Lilliputian Chop (feat. Augie Bello) Analógico Brasil Make Believe (feat. Linqua Franqa) Call it Off Tokyo Love Story (Love Story Wa Totsuzen Ni) Credits Kishi Bashi - Vocals, Violin, Guitar, Keyboards, Additional InstrumentsFraser Blanchflower - Electric Guitar, Piano, Background VocalsQuinn Humphreys - Rickenbacker and Fender Bass*, Background VocalsJames Clark - Drums, Background Vocals, Commentary on Lilliputian ChopEmily Hope Price - Cello on Violin Akai, Icarus IV, and Call It OffSola Ishibashi - Vocals on Icarus IVGarbiel Rodriguez - Percussion on Analógico Brasil and Tokyo Love StoryGraham Richards - Electric Piano on Analógico Brasil and Tokyo Love StoryZorina Andall - Vocals on Lilliputian ChopAugie Bello - Alto and Tenor Sax on Lilliputian ChopPip The Pansy - Flute and Vocals on Analógico BrasilMike Savino - Banjola on Call It Off*Kellen Harrison - Bass on Analógico BrasilLinqua Franqa - Vocals on Make BelieveMark B - Hammond Organ on Violin AkaiProduced by Kishi BashiMixed by TucanMastered by Greg Calbi / Steve Falcone for Sterling SoundLive band recorded by Drew Vandenberg at Chase Park Transduction Athens, GAEverything else recorded at Home StudiosSequenced by Karl HofstetterAll Songs by Kishi Bashi (Kizmoda Music Inc/ASCAP). / 2024 Kishi Bashi & Joyful Noise RecordingsExcept...Liliputian Chop Kishi Bashi (Kizmoda Music Inc/ASCAP)and Augie Bello (ASCAP).Make Believe by Kishi Bashi (Kizmoda Music Inc/ASCAP)and Mariah Parker (ASCAP).Tokyo Love Story (Love Story Wa Totsuzen Ni) by Kazumasa Oda.Origami and Photography by Kishi Bashi“Icarus” designed by Takashi HOJYO ( 2001)Design and Layout by Jerrod Landon Porter at iheartjlp.com Description The latest full-length from Kishi Bashi, Kantos is a work of exquisite duality: a party album about the possible end of humanity as we know it, at turns deeply unsettling and sublimely joyful. In a sonic departure from the symphonic folk of his critically lauded 2019 LP Omoiyari—a career-defining body of work born from his intensive meditation on the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II—the Seattle-born singer/songwriter/producer’s fifth studio album encompasses everything from Brazilian jazz and ’70s funk to orchestral rock and city pop (a Japanese genre that peaked in the mid-’80s). Informed by an equally kaleidoscopic mix of inspirations—the cult-classic sci-fi novel series Hyperion Cantos, the writings of 18th century enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, a revelatory trip to ancient ruins on the island of Crete—Kantos ultimately serves as an unbridled exaltation of the human spirit and all its wild complexities. “At a time when so many people had begun to panic about AI and what it might mean for our future, I started working on this record as a way to explore the concept of grounding ourselves in our humanity,” says the Santa Cruz, California-based multi-instrumentalist otherwise known as Kaoru Ishibashi. “The album title is a nod to Hyperion Cantos and to Immanuel Kant, but it also refers to ‘canto’ meaning ‘I sing’ in Spanish. The idea is that even with so much technological advancement, songs are still something we very much rely on to connect with other people.” Kantos, the follow-up to his bluegrass-infused 2021 EP Emigrant, marks Kishi Bashi’s first full-length since Omoiyari—an album accompanied by a feature-length documentary film and praised by such outlets as NPR, who hailed it as “another sure-footed surprise from an artist who never stops seeking new ways to engage, connect and delight.” During the earliest stages of creating songs for the album, Ishibashi’s main intent was to return to his highly eclectic musical roots, in part by tapping into his jazz background and by delving into the dance-rock-leaning sensibilities he previously embraced as co-founder of Brooklyn-bred indie band Jupiter One. But not too long into the songwriting process, he stumbled upon an AI-equipped website capable of composing

Track Listing Intro / Pathos, Pathos Manchester Bright Whites It All Began With a Burst Wonder Woman, Wonder Me Chester's Burst Over the Hamptons Atticus, In the Desert I Am the Antichrist to You Beat the Bright Out of Me Description It has been a decade since this album was released into the world! In honor of that milestone, we are reissuing this album in a deluxe double LP... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They say that you spend your entire life writing your first album, piecing every formative moment, scribbled turn of phrase, and thematic epiphany into a fantastical collage. Multi-instrumentalist K. Ishibashi (aka Kishi Bashi) disproves that old adage. The title of Kishi Bashi’s 2011 debut album, 151a, is a riff on the Japanese phrase “ichi-go ichi-e,” roughly translating to “one time, one place.” That’s exactly what this debut is: A singular time, an inimitable place, a launchpad for bigger and better things to come. "It's a play on words that translates as a performance aesthetic of having a unique performance in time, with imperfections, and enjoying it while you can," Ishibashi told NPR at the time of the album’s release. "The saying reminds me to embrace my mistakes and move forward." Produced and performed exclusively by Kishi Bashi, 151a is a showcase of singular talent and ambition— and it didn’t go unnoticed by fans or peers. Along with launching Kishi Bashi’s career as a soloist, this earnest debut made him one of indie music’s most in-demand violinists. He was no longer relegated to side stage as a collaborator of Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, of Montreal, and more—the Kishi Bashi name could endure with its own merit. As deeply personal as 151a undoubtedly is, the record was animated by a deep and enduring partnership. Following Kishi Bashi’s collaboration with of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes for the watershed art-pop album Paralytic Stalks, his worldview and artistic approach was transformed for the better. Strict habits hung loose, sonic palettes bled and broadened, and a one-man orchestra sprouted from a foundation of string loops. From the deconstructed Beach Boys-esque doo-wop of “Wonder Woman” to the menacing marriage of Eastern Hues and Western operatics of “Beat the Bright out of Me,” 151a a mediation between opposing drives, offering possible reconciliation but never promising it. The album’s emotional wellspring, “I Am The Antichrist To You” was reimagined in 2021 when it was featured on the animated sci-fi sitcom Rick and Morty, introducing Kishi Bashi to a new generation of awestruck fans. Kishi Bashi also uses 151a as a vehicle to explore his cultural background. Using Japanese refrains as a compositional and textural device (the polyrhythmic grandeur of “Bright Whites”; the gleeful surrealism of “It All Began With a Burst”), Kishi Bashi celebrates his heritage with earnestness. Japanese phrases and couplets are sung as the response to Kishi Bashi’s resplendent calls, offering listeners a conversation that dovetails with the album’s themes of love, sentimentality, and self-discovery. Today, the “one time” and “one place” that 151a inhabited seems further than ever, almost broaching celestial realms of time and space. But, rest assured, with each listen, the world that Kishi Bashi built springs back to life. The world of 151a never left—it was just waiting to be rediscovered.

Track Listing / Listen Description Imagine being forced from your home. Imagine being sent to a prison camp with no trial, and no promise of release. Imagine all this happened simply because of the language you speak, the shade of your skin, or the roots of your family tree. For over 120,000 Japanese-Americans this was a reality during World War II. It’s a reality that Kishi Bashi seeks to reckon with on his latest release Omoiyari. Omoiyari is Kishi Bashi’s fourth album -- following the acclaimed 151a (2012), Lighght (2014), and Sonderlust (2016), which have garnered serious acclaim from outlets including NPR Music, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian -- and his most important yet. Many of the songs were initially inspired by history and oppression, and he deftly weaves tales of love, loss, and wanting to connect listeners to the past. Channeling the hard-learned lessons of history, Omoiyari is an uncompromising musical statement on the turbulent sociopolitical atmosphere of present-day America. “I was shocked when I saw white supremacy really starting to show its teeth again in America,“ Kishi Bashi says. “My parents are immigrants, they came to the United States from Japan post–World War II. As a minority I felt very insecure for the first time in my adult life in this country. I think that was the real trigger for this project.” Kishi Bashi recognized parallels between the current U.S. administration’s constant talk of walls and bans, and the xenophobic anxieties that led to the forced internment of Japanese-Americans in the months following the attack on Pearl Harbor. So he immersed himself in that period, visiting former prison sites and listening to the stories of survivors, while developing musical concepts along the way. The unique creative process behind Omoiyari will be documented in a film scheduled for release in early 2020. “I didn’t want this project to be about history, but rather the importance of history, and the lessons we can learn,” Kishi Bashi reflects. “I gravitated toward themes of empathy, compassion, and understanding as a way to overcome fear and intolerance. But I had trouble finding an English title for the piece. Omoiyari is a Japanese word. It doesn't necessarily translate as empathy, but it refers to the idea of creating compassion towards other people by thinking about them. I think the idea of omoiyari is the single biggest thing that can help us overcome aggression and conflict.” The strong conceptual elements of Omoiyari are driven by Kishi Bashi’s captivating musical score. Stepping away from his past loop-based production model, he embraced a more collaborative approach when recording, and for the first time included contributions from other musicians, such as Mike Savino (aka Tall Tall Trees) on banjo and bass, and Nick Ogawa (aka Takenobu) on cello. Kishi Bashi’s spectacular trademark violin soundscapes are still an essential component of his sound, but the focus of Omoiyari is centered squarely on its songs. The result is his most potent and poignant collection of music to date. On “Marigolds,” Kishi Bashi contemplates the “differences between generations that are difficult to comprehend sometimes.” “I wish that I had met you when your heart was safe to hold,” he sings over a bed of shimmering violins, conveying a sense of deep melancholy over a soaring melodic line. “Summer of ’42” weaves a breathtaking orchestral score over a tale of love and loss in a Japanese incarceration camp. “While times were humiliating and difficult in these camps, they would make time to find love and happiness amongst the adversity,” Kishi Bashi observes. “Violin Tsunami” builds a single violin line into a cinematic wall of sound. “A Brazilian Japanese friend of mine is a violin maker, and he presented me with a wonderful violin to play. He had named it Tsunami, and had worked on it while the Fukushima Nuclear disaster was unfolding,” Kishi Bashi explains. “This song is about the chaos that nature can create, and also about the healing and rebuilding that the human spirit is capable of.” The song

Track Listing Debut - Impromptu (0:47) Philosophize In It! Chemicalize With It! (3:20) The Ballad of Mr. Steak (3:19) Carry on Phenomenon (4:03) Bittersweet Genesis for Him AND Her (3:33) Impromptu no 1 (0:58) Q&A (3:11) Once Upon a Lucid Dream (in Afrikaans) (4:04) Hahaha Pt. 1 (2:41) Hahaha Pt. 2 (4:01) In Fantasia (7:09) Description The album entitled "Lighght" (pronounced "Light") continues and expands the sound of his critically acclaimed debut, "151a" - which earned Kishi Bashi the title of "Best New Artist" by NPR. Since the profoundly successful release of "151a" two years ago, Kishi Bashi has toured relentlessly, captivating audiences across the globe with his loop-based live show, and fostering a groundswell of devotees. "151a" was crafted over a four-year period while Kishi Bashi was touring and recording with Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, and of Montreal (where he was a full-time member and co-producer). In late 2012, after the success of "151a", Kishi Bashi decided to focus solely on his own music and began composing the new material which has become "Lighght". "Lighght" takes its title from the one-word poem by minimalist poet Aram Saroyan. As Kishi Bashi explains, "The poem's blatant assault on literary convention and classical form was attractive to me." It is apparent that such an approach informed the new album, which has both broadened and redefined his classical foundations. "Though I have studied classical composition, I prefer to take an unconventional path when it comes to creating and thinking about music," says Kishi Bashi. Though violin remains his primary instrument and songwriting muse, Kishi Bashi has expanded his palette to include more diverse and nuanced instrumentation. Bright and soaring avant-pop songs are prevalent, as are Eastern-tinged arrangements, gentle ballads, Philip Glass inspired improvisations, and more than a few moments that flirt with 70s prog (in the tradition of ELO or Yes). If this sounds jarringly kaleidoscopic, that's because it is. But it works. Listen and see.

"Sonderlust" is an album forged through heartbreak. After his two previous studio albums ("151a" and "Lighght"), Kishi Bashi was at a musical impass

AFTER 28 YEARS, DEERHOOF RECORDS THEIR STUDIO DEBUT AND IT’S ALL IN JAPANESE. Did you know that miracles happen every day? We don’t always see it that way. We look at the state of the world and think, “It’ll be a miracle if we make it out alive.” But miracles are what humans do.