| Khruangbin — Con Todo el Mundo (Jan. 26, 2018) |
Khruangbin — Con Todo el Mundo (Jan. 26, 2018) 
→ เครื่องบิน. Jet~setting Texas trio whose smooth, mainly instrumental music is heavily influenced by Thai rock and funk, among other styles.
Location: Burton, Houston, Texas ~ London, UK
Genre: Pop/Rock, R&B
Styles: Instrumental Rock, Neo~Psychedelia, R&B Instrumental, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Deep Funk Revival
Recording Location: Sugarhill Studios, Houston, TX; The Farm, Burton, TX; The Treehouse, Houston, TX
Album release: January 26, 2018
Record Label: Night Time Stories, Dead Oceans
Duration: 41:56
Tracks:
01 Cómo Me Quieres 3:45
02 Lady and Man 4:18
03 Maria También 3:10
04 August 10 4:25
05 Cómo Te Quiero 4:02
06 Shades of Man 3:47
07 Evan Finds the Third Room 4:00
08 A Hymn 3:10
09 Rules 4:29
10 Friday Morning 6:50
Credits:
→ Jonathan Lee Chan Engineer
→ Steve Christensen Engineer, Mixing, Producer
→ Tiny Frees Art Direction, Layout
→ Donald Johnson, Jr. Drums, Group Member
→ Chase Jordan Vibraphone
→ Mary Kang Back Cover Photo
→ Khruangbin Arranger, Composer
→ Laura Lee Bass, Group Member, Handclapping, Producer, Vocals
→ Chris Longwood Engineer
→ Charlie Perez Percussion
→ Mark Speer Cover Photo, Group Member, Guitar, Mellotron, Percussion, Producer, Vocals
→ Will Van Horn Pedal Steel Guitar
AllMusic Review by Paul Simpson; Score: ***½
→ Texan trio Khruangbin named themselves after the Thai word for airplane, which couldn’t be more appropriate for a band whose influences imply heavy passport usage. Of course, the band are inspired by Thai rock and funk from the ‘60s and ‘70s — sounds most easily available to Western ears via releases like the Thai Beat a Go~Go compilations or anything issued by ZudRangMa Records. The group also draw from the bass pressure of vintage dub reggae, the free~pirited haziness of California psychedelia, and the gritty passion of ‘70s soul, with hints of Iranian pop, Afrobeat, Spaghetti Western film scores, and countless other styles. While this sounds like it could be an impossibly tall order, or something that requires an encyclopedic knowledge of music just to listen to, the band achieve a remarkably, almost effortlessly cohesive sound, and it goes down much more smoothly than one might expect. The group never have a lead vocalist, but most of the songs on Con Todo el Mundo feature distant, shadowy backup vocals, making them seem like proper songs with the lyrics removed. Instead, Mark Speer’s reverb~heavy guitar does most of the talking, playing a more ethereal variation on twangy surf or desert blues riffs. Without breaking a sweat or running away from the general vibe, the group slip in Middle Eastern~sounding percussion, loungey vibraphone, and humorous taunts during the playful “Lady and Man.” The organ~kissed “Shades of Man” has a similar deep~but~smooth soul flavor, and ends with a short bit featuring someone asking how to pronounce the band’s name. “Evan Finds the Third Room” is a fun, handclap~riddled funk tune with dazzling guitar licks and more playful call~and~response vocals. The album ends with the supremely chilled “Friday Morning,” which seems like a slowed~down, half~remembered interpretation of Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day.” The song is so easygoing that you might not even notice how many times the group switches the tempo.
°•° The first truly remarkable record of 2018 that I have heard thus far. Funky, eclectic, gorgeous, and bluesy, Con Todo El Mundo is impossible to categorize into a single genre, and pretty damn impossible to describe with words. If you like blues, soul, world music, funk, or simply electric guitar, give it a listen. You will not be disappointed. — ****½ (Kenneth Bridgham, January 29, 2018)
°•° The grooves that drive this record are some of the best composed this year. I thought I was in for a real disappointment because of the Critic review for this album. However I disagree because of the originality and remarkable musicianship this band presents. This album embodies what good rock instrumentalists should strive to be like. This band is diffidently on my list of people to watch out for in the future. — ****½ (SuSoss’Nooos McFluRrY, February 8, 2018)
Artist Biography by Paul Simpson
°•° Khruangbin (Thai for airplane, or literally “engine fly”) are a jet~setting trio from Texas whose smooth, mainly instrumental music is heavily inspired by Thai rock and funk from the ‘60s and ‘70s, as well as a multitude of other influences ranging from surf rock to dub to Iranian pop. The band formed after guitarist Mark Speer and bassist Laura Lee performed with Yppah while opening for Bonobo’s 2010 American tour. °•° Speer and Lee began working on music together, and Speer’s bandmate Donald Johnson, Jr., who is also a prolific Southern rap producer, became the group’s drummer. The trio debuted with a self~released cassette and a 7”, and their song “A Calf Born in Winter” was included on Bonobo’s 2013 LateNightTales mix. Response to the song was overwhelmingly positive, and the group was signed to Night Time Stories Ltd. Following a limited Record Store Day 7” of “A Calf Born in Winter,” the band’s 10" EP The Infamous Bill was released in 2014. History of Flight, a 2015 Record Store Day EP, featured covers of songs by some of the group’s influences, including Serge Gainsbourg and Yellow Magic Orchestra. Khruangbin’s full~length debut, The Universe Smiles Upon You, arrived by the end of the year, and a remix EP followed in 2016. The year proved to be an important one for Khruangbin — they opened for Father John Misty throughout his tour of the U.K. and Europe, and they embarked on headlining tours throughout the U.K. and America. The band’s second album, Con Todo el Mundo, was released in early 2018. °•° https://www.allmusic.com/
Also:
by Erin MacLeod, FEBRUARY 1 2018; Score: 7.6
°•° https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/khruangbin-con-todo-el-mundo/
Bandcamp: https://khruangbin.bandcamp.com/
Website: http://www.airkhruang.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Khruangbin
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/khruangbin
Interview:
Andrea Domanick, Nov 4 2015, 4:00pm
°•° https://noisey.vice.com/en_au/article/6x85p3/khruangbin-interview-the-universe-smiles-upon-you-premiere
Summary:
°•° Mark Speer (Lecrae, Grandfather Child, Khruangbin)
°•° Laura Lee (Khruangbin)
°•° Donald Johnson, Jr. (Paul Wall, Z~Ro, Khruangbin)
°•° Will Van Horn (Nicole Atkins, Shinyribs, Robert Ellis, Jamestown Revival, Jason James, Shakey Graves, The Free Radicals, Max Frost, Folk Family Revival, Shellee Coley, Khruangbin)
→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•
| Khruangbin — Con Todo el Mundo (Jan. 26, 2018) |
Location: Burton, Houston, Texas ~ London, UK
Genre: Pop/Rock, R&B
Styles: Instrumental Rock, Neo~Psychedelia, R&B Instrumental, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Deep Funk Revival
Recording Location: Sugarhill Studios, Houston, TX; The Farm, Burton, TX; The Treehouse, Houston, TX
Album release: January 26, 2018
Record Label: Night Time Stories, Dead Oceans
Duration: 41:56
Tracks:
01 Cómo Me Quieres 3:45
02 Lady and Man 4:18
03 Maria También 3:10
04 August 10 4:25
05 Cómo Te Quiero 4:02
06 Shades of Man 3:47
07 Evan Finds the Third Room 4:00
08 A Hymn 3:10
09 Rules 4:29
10 Friday Morning 6:50
Credits:
→ Jonathan Lee Chan Engineer
→ Steve Christensen Engineer, Mixing, Producer
→ Tiny Frees Art Direction, Layout
→ Donald Johnson, Jr. Drums, Group Member
→ Chase Jordan Vibraphone
→ Mary Kang Back Cover Photo
→ Khruangbin Arranger, Composer
→ Laura Lee Bass, Group Member, Handclapping, Producer, Vocals
→ Chris Longwood Engineer
→ Charlie Perez Percussion
→ Mark Speer Cover Photo, Group Member, Guitar, Mellotron, Percussion, Producer, Vocals
→ Will Van Horn Pedal Steel Guitar
AllMusic Review by Paul Simpson; Score: ***½
→ Texan trio Khruangbin named themselves after the Thai word for airplane, which couldn’t be more appropriate for a band whose influences imply heavy passport usage. Of course, the band are inspired by Thai rock and funk from the ‘60s and ‘70s — sounds most easily available to Western ears via releases like the Thai Beat a Go~Go compilations or anything issued by ZudRangMa Records. The group also draw from the bass pressure of vintage dub reggae, the free~pirited haziness of California psychedelia, and the gritty passion of ‘70s soul, with hints of Iranian pop, Afrobeat, Spaghetti Western film scores, and countless other styles. While this sounds like it could be an impossibly tall order, or something that requires an encyclopedic knowledge of music just to listen to, the band achieve a remarkably, almost effortlessly cohesive sound, and it goes down much more smoothly than one might expect. The group never have a lead vocalist, but most of the songs on Con Todo el Mundo feature distant, shadowy backup vocals, making them seem like proper songs with the lyrics removed. Instead, Mark Speer’s reverb~heavy guitar does most of the talking, playing a more ethereal variation on twangy surf or desert blues riffs. Without breaking a sweat or running away from the general vibe, the group slip in Middle Eastern~sounding percussion, loungey vibraphone, and humorous taunts during the playful “Lady and Man.” The organ~kissed “Shades of Man” has a similar deep~but~smooth soul flavor, and ends with a short bit featuring someone asking how to pronounce the band’s name. “Evan Finds the Third Room” is a fun, handclap~riddled funk tune with dazzling guitar licks and more playful call~and~response vocals. The album ends with the supremely chilled “Friday Morning,” which seems like a slowed~down, half~remembered interpretation of Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day.” The song is so easygoing that you might not even notice how many times the group switches the tempo.
°•° The first truly remarkable record of 2018 that I have heard thus far. Funky, eclectic, gorgeous, and bluesy, Con Todo El Mundo is impossible to categorize into a single genre, and pretty damn impossible to describe with words. If you like blues, soul, world music, funk, or simply electric guitar, give it a listen. You will not be disappointed. — ****½ (Kenneth Bridgham, January 29, 2018)
°•° The grooves that drive this record are some of the best composed this year. I thought I was in for a real disappointment because of the Critic review for this album. However I disagree because of the originality and remarkable musicianship this band presents. This album embodies what good rock instrumentalists should strive to be like. This band is diffidently on my list of people to watch out for in the future. — ****½ (SuSoss’Nooos McFluRrY, February 8, 2018)
Artist Biography by Paul Simpson
°•° Khruangbin (Thai for airplane, or literally “engine fly”) are a jet~setting trio from Texas whose smooth, mainly instrumental music is heavily inspired by Thai rock and funk from the ‘60s and ‘70s, as well as a multitude of other influences ranging from surf rock to dub to Iranian pop. The band formed after guitarist Mark Speer and bassist Laura Lee performed with Yppah while opening for Bonobo’s 2010 American tour. °•° Speer and Lee began working on music together, and Speer’s bandmate Donald Johnson, Jr., who is also a prolific Southern rap producer, became the group’s drummer. The trio debuted with a self~released cassette and a 7”, and their song “A Calf Born in Winter” was included on Bonobo’s 2013 LateNightTales mix. Response to the song was overwhelmingly positive, and the group was signed to Night Time Stories Ltd. Following a limited Record Store Day 7” of “A Calf Born in Winter,” the band’s 10" EP The Infamous Bill was released in 2014. History of Flight, a 2015 Record Store Day EP, featured covers of songs by some of the group’s influences, including Serge Gainsbourg and Yellow Magic Orchestra. Khruangbin’s full~length debut, The Universe Smiles Upon You, arrived by the end of the year, and a remix EP followed in 2016. The year proved to be an important one for Khruangbin — they opened for Father John Misty throughout his tour of the U.K. and Europe, and they embarked on headlining tours throughout the U.K. and America. The band’s second album, Con Todo el Mundo, was released in early 2018. °•° https://www.allmusic.com/
Also:
by Erin MacLeod, FEBRUARY 1 2018; Score: 7.6
°•° https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/khruangbin-con-todo-el-mundo/
Bandcamp: https://khruangbin.bandcamp.com/
Website: http://www.airkhruang.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Khruangbin
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/khruangbin
Interview:
Andrea Domanick, Nov 4 2015, 4:00pm
°•° https://noisey.vice.com/en_au/article/6x85p3/khruangbin-interview-the-universe-smiles-upon-you-premiere
Summary:
°•° Mark Speer (Lecrae, Grandfather Child, Khruangbin)
°•° Laura Lee (Khruangbin)
°•° Donald Johnson, Jr. (Paul Wall, Z~Ro, Khruangbin)
°•° Will Van Horn (Nicole Atkins, Shinyribs, Robert Ellis, Jamestown Revival, Jason James, Shakey Graves, The Free Radicals, Max Frost, Folk Family Revival, Shellee Coley, Khruangbin)
→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•°→→°•