Kishi Bashi playing at one of the former internment camp sites for his album and film Omoiyari. If you missed out on tickets for this Sunday's show, he'll be back in October... MAX RITTER

Omoiyari is a bit of a departure from Kishi Bashi's previous efforts, folkier while conversely more finely composed and orchestrated. Instead of mostly producing the entire album himself, the Berklee-trained musician (who sings and plays violin primarily, but also guitar and keys) brought on a band (including frequent collaborator Tall Tall Trees on bass and banjo) and some chamber players to back him up. It's also more political, though the parallels between what happened then versus what's happening now are examined more deeply and thoroughly in accompanying documentary Omoiyari: A Songfilm by Kishi Bashi, due out sometime next year.

The incredible Walker twins, Cedric and Eva: the banging heart of the Black Tones. Danny Denial

Of course, we wouldn't be gushing about them so much had we not been fans. This is a big city, after all, and there are loads of great bands operating here. But some, like the Black Tones, feel more special, more ready to break out, more compelling and engaging, more powerful and fiery, than others, which makes it hard not to give them extra ink.

And we aren't the only ones who've taken notice.

Proof of this lies in their sold-out April 11 album release show (video after the jump), and the national buzz they've been generating: Just this week, NPR shined the spotlight on 15 Seattle musicians “redefining” our city’s music “beyond grunge,” and the Black Tones were listed among several other groups that have gotten ink in The Stranger, too (Chong the Nomad, Knife Knights, Tres Leches, Gifted Gab, and a handful of other locals who are actually noteworthy).

Here's what Martin Douglas wrote for NPR:

Ludo's bowing out. But before he goes, I made him talk to me about dream orchestras, taking vacations, and the Seattle music scene. Brandon Patoc

During his eight-year tenure the symphony pulled in five Grammy Awards (s/o to recording engineer Dmitriy Lipay, who played a major role in the process), won orchestra of the year 2018, increased their engagement with issues affecting Washington (such as homelessness and Trump's Muslim ban), generally livened things up after years of complacency under former music director Gerard Schwartz, and, not to be overlooked, "created more positions in the winds." The orchestra started with three chairs on each wind instrument, and now they have four on each, all of which you'll hear in action over the next two weekends.