“Bright Whites,” much like its accompanying songs on Kishi Bashi’s debut LP, 151a, is a collision of symphonic pop and uncontainable giddiness. It’s those secret, unconscious smiles that pop up when the first feelings of love penetrate your heart and consume every fiber of your being. The jangling of tambourines and nearly-inarticulate Japanese mirror the fluttering of butterflies in your stomach while the pounding floor toms beat with every reverberation of your racing heart. If you’re not irrevocably hooked within the first minute of this song, you’re missing out on the wonderfully confusing happiness echoed in each strum of K Ishibashi’s guitar.
This multi-instrumentalist creates most of his rich sound independently through the use of vocal and violin loops and leaves no space silent, whether filled with raucous plucks or the slender, sweet sound of a bow gliding along a single string. Ishibashi is a touring member in Of Montreal and has also played for Regina Spektor and various other side projects, but his talent is truly best on display in the solo sector. Left to explore and hone his skill, Ishibashi has created an album brimming with emotion. Listening to his lyrics is like peeking into how I would imagine the diary of Romeo would have looked after his first encounter with Juliet.
“Bright Whites” is a song you listen to right before flashing a smile to your love, taking their hand and leaping off a cliff into the crushing blue waters below. Exhilarating, slightly unsettling, but ultimately… bliss.