Rob’s Album of The Week: Khruangbin’s A La Sala
It’s always refreshing when a band pulls off music that’s purely original. They’re not ripping anyone off while blending in various elements, some of which are contemporary while others stray completely out of the mainstream consciousness. With their cool as fuck blend of psychedelic jazz, hypnotic surf rock and world-spanning rhythms, Khurangbin from Houston have been the epitome of this for nearly 15 years. The trio of guitarist Mark Speer, bassist Laura Lee and drummer DJ Johnson are seamless with their approach and their sound is infectious. This is once again evident in their new full-length release A La Sala that came out via the Bloomington, Indiana based record label Dead Oceans on April 5.
This is the band’s fourth album and it’s also their fourth time having the Grammy award winning engineer Steve Christensen on as a co-producer with Speer. The result is in consistent harmony with the band’s previous releases, even though there are slight differences being brought forth for the sake of progression. Johnson’s drumming has more of a hip hop aesthetic while Speer’s guitar tones and arrangements are somewhat more elongated and abstract. Lee has a bit more funkiness with her bass playing as well. With these facts being apparent, the material does stay in line with the trademark sound and approach Khurangbin has established as an artistic entity.
What I love the most about this band’s music is how they can set the mood in an instant. Press play on this record in the background while you’re getting things done around the house and you’re bound to find yourself in a personal groove while being in a relaxed frame of mind. The same can be said when listening to A La Sala as you’re driving your car or riding your bike to a chosen destination. It’s a powerful characteristic and it comes across in a genuine way. For a further look at this, here are my top tracks off of the Album of The Week:
That drumming technique from Johnson I mentioned is exemplified perfectly in “Fifteen Fifty-Three”. It counteracts with Lee’s bass lines in excellent fashion while Speer’s chords convey a jazzy vibe. “Pon Pón” is a prime example of those funky leanings as it exhibits a building structure that incorporates numerous influences over time. I also really enjoy how “Hold Me Up (Thank You)” brings back the joint vocals that have become such an underrated staple for the trio. Johnson’s drumming is diverse as each note moves along, which makes the song even more fantastic.
Khruangbin are going to be spending the majority of 2024 on tour all over North America and Europe starting at the heralded Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California on April 14. Other dates on this side of the Atlantic include May 25 at the Boston Calling Music Festival, May 29 at Jacob’s Pavilion in Cleveland, a tripleheader at History in Toronto from May 31 to June 2 and June 14 at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. For shows across the pond, there’s the Nos Alive Festival in Lisbon on July 13, Metastadt Open Air in Vienna on July 17 and the Latitude Festival in the British county of Suffolk on July 26. To know about all the dates that are coming up, check out the tour page on the band’s website. After you do that, grab a copy of A La Sala and dive right in.
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