Who would guess that a band infatuated by the allure of surf culture would find its roots deep within the back roads of rural Texas? Perhaps it's those preconceived notions that have pushed Houston's Khruangbin to explore and internalize music from across the globe.
Khruangbin's second installment, entitled Con Todo El Mundo, has quickly been gaining traction and warranting serious attention since its release at the tail-end of last month. The three-piece group has been able to carve out a space that isn't suffocated by the saturation of psychedelic surf-rock that has hit the scene in recent years. Perhaps it's the absence of malaise-littered vocals and hipster vernacular that allow the band to triumphantly forge west coast rock with funky, meditative grooves.
While their first release, 'The Universe Smiles Upon You', sounds as if it would pair seamlessly as the soundtrack for a beach party featured in a Corona advertisement, this new record simply doesn't fall within any one set of bounds. The soulful tracks take inspiration from the middle eastern music tradition, drawing on the rhythms and tones of Persian and Arabian instruments and styles. The album's opener, "Cómo Me Quieres", proves this sentiment to be true as the free-flowing riff is reminiscent of an Oud, a stringed instrument with origins dating back thousands of years. Minutes later, 'Maria También' takes the listener poolside in 70's Venice Beach while a group of blonde-locked teens skate an abandoned bowl. Even notes of disco come into play with "Evan Finds the Third Room", a mellow high-hat driven track that could be a simplified cut off a late Bee Gees record.
This is not an album that takes inspiration and carries it along a linear line of stagnation, but instead uses inspiration exactly how it is intended to be; as a starting point from which to bring to fruition an original vision and transcend stale conventions. At just forty-two minutes in running time, there isn't a justifiable excuse to keep it from sliding into your queue.
Track Listing:
1. Cómo Me Quieres
2. Lady and Man
3. Maria También
4. August 10
5. Cómo Te Quiero
6. Shades of Man
7. Evan Finds the Third Room
8. A Hymn
9. Rules
10. Friday Morning