"My grandpa would always ask me 'Como me quieres?' ('how much do you love me'?), and he'd only ever accept one response. 'Con todo el mundo' (With all the world)." This anecdote by singer and bassist Laura Leeillustrates not only the tender sentimentpulsingthrough the Texas outfit's sophomore record, but the globetrotting medley of influences the band pour into their writing and recording process as well. 2015's , a Lab fave, was fueled by a suitcase full of obscure 1970sThai pop & rock cassettes, and this time thecrew dig into outsider strains of funk and soul from Iran to inform theirsingular brand of dusty desertfunk; the result sounds something like splitting a dutch with . While most acts wishing to channel the non-traditional modes and scales of middle eastern music might end up lazilyappropriating surface tropes or copping an easy sample,Khruangbin take the time to carefully digest the sounds andrespectfully weave these influences into the DNA of the ten songs on Con Todo El Mundo. Thecatchy flourishes of Mark Speer's killer eastern guitar riffs on "Maria Tambin" are played with suchsoul and sincerity, we probably wouldn't have even caught theforeign influence if we didn't read the press release first. While the instrumental tracks are enough to get any rare groove fetishist sniffing around, Laura Lee's occasional heavenly vocals take these songsto another level; check out thestirringrefrain on album coda "Friday Morning." Other crucial cuts: "Evan Finds The Third Room," "Shades Of Man," "Como Me Quieres" and "Lady And Man."Recommended.
- black vinyl pressing
- printed inner sleeve
- music label: Dead Oceans 2018
