''Lighght'' is the second studio album by

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

artist

Kishi Bashi Kaoru Ishibashi (born November 4, 1975), who performs as Kishi Bashi, is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter currently based in Athens, Georgia. He was a founding member of Jupiter One and, for a few years, was a member of t ...

. It was released on May 13, 2014. It was produced by

and recorded in multiple locations, including Home Studios in

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

and Clay Garden Studios in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

Music

's sophomore album builds upon the musical ideas he introduced in his first studio album, ''151a.'' A classical violin virtuoso-turned-songwriter,

Kaoru Ishibashi Kaoru Ishibashi (born November 4, 1975), who performs as Kishi Bashi, is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter currently based in Athens, Georgia. He was a founding member of Jupiter One and, for a few years, was a member of t ...

continues to use the violin as his main instrument and source of inspiration. In ''Lighght'', he plays with the conventions of both classical music and pop music by layering, distorting, and looping violin sounds in experimental ways. He also utilizes synthetic keyboards and different kinds of percussion to add dimension behind his characteristic singing voice, which Kristofer Lenz describes as "clear, high, and beautiful." Each song is distinctive and complex, ranging from the upbeat, dance-inspired "Carry on Phenomenon" and "The Ballad of Mr. Steak" to the sweet and simple love song "Q&A" and the seven-minute psychedelic, atmospheric conclusion "In Fantasia."

Critical reception

Upon its 2014 release, the album generated favorable reviews from most critics. It received a critic score of 71 on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, indicating "generally favorable reviews." On popular music review website The Line of Best Fit, reviewer Danny Wadeson wrote of the album, "Put bluntly, every song herein are overbrimming with frenzied brilliance," and concluded by stating that Kishi Bashi has "produced his finest work to date." Other reviewers had less favorable opinions. Kristopher Lenz of music blog

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

thought the album missed the mark, expressing that there is "simply too much questionable fluff surrounding the good ideas." Despite disagreements, reviewers seem to agree that Kishi Bashi's sophomore effort has been successful in defining his signature sound.

Track listing

Japanese bonus tracks

Personnel

– vocals, strings Additional performers *

Kevin Barnes Kevin Lawrence Barnes (born May 30, 1974) is the singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for the indie rock group of Montreal, part of the Elephant 6 Collective. Barnes started the band and, although providing several stories as to the ...

– bass on "Hahaha Pt. 2", additional vocals "In Afrikaans" * Yoed Nir – cello on "Philosophize!" , "In Afrikaans" , "Q&A", "In Fantasia" * Amos Housworth, cello on “Philosophize!” and “Bittersweet Genesis” * Keiko Ishibashi – vocals on “Q&A” and “Impromptu no 1” * Daniel Brunner and Mike Savino – vocals on “Carry On Phenomenon” * Zac Colwell – Juno 60 on “Hahaha Pt. 2” and “In Afrikaans” * Davey Pierce – miniMoog midi-fying on “In Afrikaans” * Clayton Rychlik – drums on “Carry On Phenomenon”, “Philosophize!”, “Mr.Steak”, “In Afrikaans”, “Hahaha Pt. 2” * Phillip Mayer – additional drums on “Philosophize!”.

Charts

Songs

References

{{Authority control Joyful Noise Recordings albums 2014 albums Kishi Bashi albums