Album Reviews

Night Time Stories

The psychedelic Texan trio Khruangbin return with their immersive and expansive second album. Following on from 2015’s widely acclaimed debut, The Universe Smiles Upon You, an album that drew largely upon Thai funk cassettes from the ’60s and ’70s, the new record takes a more outward-looking, global approach. Con Todo El Mundo still takes in those south east Asian influences, but also branches off to delve into undiscovered funk and soul sounds from the Mediterrean and the Middle East, most notably Iran. Fusing their idiosyncratic strain of non-white world music with classic soul, dub, global beats and reverb- drenched psychedelia, the free-flowing band strike up an addictively sensual record that explores as much as it entertains. Laidback but full of character and personality, Con Todo El Mundo remains at once exotic and familiar. Gently drifting free-role guitars waft over lapping rhythms, low-slung basslines and spacious, slow-motion funk to create rich and immersive atmospheres that allow you to sink deep into this united world of Khruangbin’s. Hazy, dream-like and cinematic, this hypnotic world is the perfect space in which to explore your inner soul. A band so intent on soaking up cultures from around the globe and then spreading them beyond borders, the perpetually indefinable Khruangbin are making a bold statement about openness at a time when the world needs it. The fact that they do it with such confidence, style and passion is testament to the band’s cohesion, musicality and enigmatic power.

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Maria Tambien, August 10, Shades of Man|

9/10