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 (available May
31) 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.