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.