This selection was chosen by Gen X dad.

Gen X dad says…

This EP is the follow up to Kishi Bashi’s 2019 album Omoiyari. The simple translation of the word omoiyari is “compassionate,” but it is worth exploring the concept further in this blog post or this book review. That record explored the experience of Japanese-Americans at the hands of the US government during World War II.

Thematically Emigrant calls back to and builds on concepts on Omoiyari. Like many records released in the last year or so, it is in large part a product of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bashi revisited Montana, Wyoming, and Oregon, where he’d originally gone to research and write Omoiyari, on a socially-distanced road trip with his family. The EP’s title is taken from town of Emigrant, Montana, which is near Yellowstone National Park.

Two of the six tracks are covers – Laughing With (Regina Spektor) and Early Morning Breeze (Dolly Parton). It is a testament to both the original artists and Bashi’s own talents that each work so well within his style.

Rarely does a record seem too short, but arguably Emigrant could have handled a couple of more songs to push it past its 27-minute run time. Maybe that’s for the best though. It leaves you wishing for just a bit more.

Highlights: it’s all good, but Waiting For Springtime and Early Morning Breeze are particular favorites.

Gen Z son says…

The first time I saw Kishi Bashi live was in 2016 at a high school a couple miles away from where I live. I had heard my parents talk about the Japanese-American artist many times before, but up until that point, hadn’t bothered to check out his discography. After he finished his set with the high school orchestra, I instantly became a fan of his and checked out the two solo albums he had previously released. I then saw him again at the Vic Theatre in October, where he put on a great show and even brought back the high school orchestra for the final couple of songs.

Born Kaoru Ishibashi in 1975, Kishi Bashi was a prominent member of the indie band Jupiter One, and was even a member of Of Montreal for a while before pursuing work as a solo artist in 2011. His music has been featured in commercials for brands like Windows 8 and Smart, and in the Netflix series Hilda as well.

On his 2021 EP Emigrant, Bashi continues the more acoustic, folky direction he was taking on his last release, Omoiyari. As always, he makes use of his trademark instrument, the violin, on most of these tracks. There are some surprises sneaked in here as well, one being that, on Cascades, he sings in a combination of both English and Japanese, something that he used to do on his earlier releases.

The original songs on here aren’t the only things worth noting, though – on tracks 3 and 4, Bashi delivers his takes on anti-folk artist Regina Spektor’s Laughing With and legendary country icon Dolly Parton’s Early Morning Breeze – which, believe it or not, I actually thought was a Kishi Bashi original the first time I heard it. That alone should show how talented he is at song covers.

In conclusion, Emigrant is another solid addition to Kishi Bashi’s discography, which not only includes throwbacks to his older releases, but also gives an insight as to what he may do in the future. The thing is, I had actually sort of stopped listening to him a while back, and I have absolutely no idea why. I’ll definitely be going back and checking out his discography again.