On 'Omoiyari,' Kishi Bashi Transcends Time — And Politics — With Compassion

Kishi Bashi made a name for himself with the shiny, fantastical
indie pop of his first three albums . (The singer and
multi-instrumentalist also made a pseudonym for himself: his stage
name is a mashup of his first initial – K, for Kaoru – and last
name, Ishibashi.) Ishibashi's newest record Omoiyari takes a more
sober turn. From Japanese, " omoiyari " roughly translates as
compassion or kindness shown toward others, which stirred in the
Athens-based musician after President Trump's administration placed
a travel ban on people from specific, predominantly Muslim
countries.