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Late Night Tales: Khruangbin
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Late Night Tales: Khruangbin
Current price: $16.99
Barnes & Noble
Late Night Tales: Khruangbin
Current price: $16.99
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Texan trio
's singular sound draws from a vast array of far-flung influences, yet it's accessible and familiar enough to captivate a widespread audience. The group is a logical fit for the
series, which features notable artists presenting tracks much in the manner of a close group of friends hanging out at home, sharing personal favorites deep into the night.
actually first broke through after
included their song "A Calf Born in Winter" on his 2013 volume, leading to a record deal with the series' sister label,
, so the band comes full circle with their 2020 installment. The three musicians found many of these selections during their extensive world touring, and the liner notes detail how they came across the songs, as well as their reactions and other anecdotes. In several cases, they chose tracks by artists who were hugely popular in their home countries, but little known outside of them, such as Pakistani pop queen
(floating post-disco gem "Khushi") and South Korean rock pioneers
(new wave funk treat "Don't Go"). A few of the pieces are a bit more abstract, such as the meditative "Illuminations," the title cut to
and
's 1974 collaboration (which remains strangely overlooked within both legends' catalogs), or the performance art avant-disco of
' "Still You," a 1979
production. Otherwise, the group tend to focus on relaxed yet sophisticated pop with a bit of a funk tinge to it. This includes a few undeniable jams, such as the unabashedly feel-good pop of "Yetikimt Abeba" by
(described as Ethiopia's equivalent of
).
also sneak in a studio recording of their steamy cover of
's "Summer Madness," a longtime staple of their live shows, and they additionally shine a spotlight on a few other friends and acquaintances from the Houston music scene. Among these are a vocoder-laced dub track by
, who mixed the group's
, as well as a quirky synth instrumental by
, a guitar virtuoso typically known for playing country music. Each
album ends with a spoken short story, and this one is perhaps the best of the entire series. Bassist
encountered local musician
playing
compositions on banjo at a Houston bar, and she recorded a studio performance of his arrangement of "Gnossienne No 1." On top of this, the group layered a
-evoking poem by
, filtered to sound like a transmission from an astronaut. After spending the album exploring different corners of the world, the final journey to the cosmos seems quietly astonishing. ~ Paul Simpson