Seattle-born, Santa Cruz-based singer/songwriter/producer Kishi Bashi’s fifth LP, Kantos, is a mix of electro-funk, new wave dance, and string-laden disco dramatics.
Working with a core band, Bashi commands center stage with guitars, violins, keyboards, and singing in multiple languages. Mixing Japanese with English lyrics, Bashi keeps the listener guessing. The bright “Tokyo Love Story (Love Story Wa Totsuzen Ni)” and disco-ready “Chiba Funk” both use poppy beats to keep the dance floor packed, and the multilingual singing/lyrics intermingle winningly.
For most of the album, Bashi uses various combinations of funky new wave pop. Efforts like “Lilliputian Chop (feat. Augie Bello)” pulse with EDM power and winning sax work, while “Analógico Brasil” has layers of backing vocals, bass, synths, percussion, and flute flourishes.
The poppy new wave of “Make Believe (feat. Linqua Franqa)” finds Franqa mixing up the vocal style with ease, while “Icarus IV” is the clear best of the bunch. The track is a neon fever dream, with laser-like synths, crashing drums, revved-up guitars, and pulsing beats, all supporting the grandiose pop structure and soaring vocals.
When Kantos becomes too dramatic, like on “Late Night Comic” or “Call It Off” things falter, better is when Bashi relies on his pop instincts such as with “Colorful State” which incorporates some of the dramatic overtones, but keeps a synth-based foundation pumping.
Kishi Bashi is an artist of many influences and levels, but good things happen when things stay more direct on Kantos, clicking on a disco-based, new wave, funky vibe.
