Khruangbin's Vibrant 'Con Todo El Mundo' Is Drawn From Life
Instrumental music speaks. Like a look from a lover or the clench of a fist, there is sometimes more (e)motion in the flick of a riff or the hum of an organ than words can supply. The Texas-based trio Khruangbin got its start digging on '60s and '70s Thai funk, gospel, R&B, surf, psychedelic rock and dub, creating chill instrumentals seemingly tailor-made for groove-seeking beatmakers and blissful dancers at outdoor festivals. Somewhere along the way, Laura Lee's soulfully funky bass lines, Mark Speer's lyrical, liquid guitar and Donald "DJ" Johnson's superbly crispy drumming gave Khruangbin's songs narrative shapes — not "cinematic," the trait often ascribed to post-rock bands, but vibrantly drawn from life, with elastic sketches that vibrate off the page.
On , the band's second album, Khruangbin expands its international reach at a moment when so much of the world seems intent on closing borders. There's the pre-Revolution Iran boogie of "Maria También," the slithering cool of "Rule" (inspired by Persian guitarist Kourosh Yeghmai) and the breakbeat chop of "Evan Finds The Third Room," a
