Khruangbin – ‘A La Sala’ album review: luscious instrumental licks that prove it’s all in the details
THE SKINNY: Some people call Khruangbin great background music. That’s grossly unkind. While their sound might not be as invasive as a heavy metal blitzkrieg, it doesn’t just sit beneath the surface; it elevates the human experience. With A La Sala, a trip to the beach is breezier, hours at work wind down a little easier, and intimacy gets a little sleazier.
Their rolling licks at once sound Iranian-inspired, but within the very same bar, a sedated Motown sound can suddenly seem more apparent in the mix. This footloose waltz of regional styles, all blended seamlessly into one succinct groove, highlights the hidden complexity of their music. Rather than growing stale, A La Sala showcases how Khruangbin are simply growing more refined, delving ever deeper into the details as they progress onto their fifth album.
This is typified by the spacing on the record. Admittedly, that can sound like the sort of dry chat you get in a stuffy jazz mag, but listening to the perfectly teased-out notes on the album opener, ‘Fifteen Fifty-Three’, instantly demands such sensibilities from the listener. With the elegance of Brigitte Bardot’s cigarette, the notes gloriously hover with considered craft.
This sets the tone for a smooth record that never once strains. A La Sala stays in its lane, safe in the knowledge that it can find enough deviation in the details to stop any mundanity from entering the sleek picture. So, what you’re left with is one long flow of music that purrs and moves like Humphrey Bogart on the prowl. It never takes too much of a departure from the arpeggio-like riff that opens proceedings, only briefly picnicking upon the gorgeous summery singles ‘May Ninth’ and ‘Pon Pón’ that are evidently a little more urgent and pop-like in their approach.
The result of this mature outlook and daring simplicity is a statement that they are the frontrunners of the modern global sounds movement, and others may well be trying too hard. If there’s a criticism to be had, then maybe it could be slightly condensed, but otherwise, it pitches you up a deckchair on some Cuban patio and assures you that you will enjoy sitting there as the minutes seem to drift away up to the peak of Pico Turquino.
For fans of: Trying to look effortless cool sipping rum in a cantina on holiday before rising to your feat and realising you’ve had one too many and can’t even remember what the hotel is called.
A concluding comment from Joey Ramone’s ghost: “At least, when we got accused of being samey, it was frickin’ exciting.”
A La Sala track by track:
Release Date: April 5th | Producer: Mark Speer & Steve Christensen | Label: Dead Oceans
‘Fifteen Fifty-Three’: The languid pace of the record is established from the off. Sparse bass and a few snare hits barely penetrate a rolling riff for the most relaxed opening 90 seconds of a record, perhaps in history before a jazzier beat breaks out. [4/5]
‘May Ninth’: One of the songs of a summer that hasn’t yet started… and no doubt will be for a few more summers to come. The album’s showcase tune just gets sweeter with every listen. A dreamy ditty that has you picturing greenery and summer dresses. [5/5]
‘Ada Jean’: A return to the rather more languid North African sound that the record began with. A modulating sustain adds mystic depth and minor deviation to the sound, keeping things just fresh enough to stop you from falling asleep at the wheel. [3/5]
‘Farolim de Felgueiras’: A solemn and cinematic moment that is produced to sound almost like the background noise on a noir movie. While you might skip it on shuffle, the rather uneventful cut adds to the appreciation of how considered the album is. [2.5/5]
‘Pom Pón’: Revitalising the record, this spicy riff and the more typical pop structure to the track renders it an obvious single. DJ Johnson’s drumming is magnificent… and he barely touches the kit. That refinement typifies their approach. [4.5/5]
‘Todavía Viva’: A more prominent brooding bass suddenly puts you in an apartment at nightfall. I have no idea what on earth the hushed vocals in the background are saying, but they add a sultry texture. Then, the chorus arrives and delivers a hook. [4/5]
‘Juegos y Nubes’: Like a great jazz band, a minor switch-up suddenly feels like a major transition as Johnson hits the kit a little harder, and there is a bit more of a western slide inflexion on the guitar. Otherwise, you can ooze into the track like any other. [4/5]
‘Hold Me Up (Thank You)’: A lazier man might be tempted to say ‘see above’, but I’m a man in need of a moment of laziness, and I greatly admire the band’s relaxingly riff of the same riff for a few moments before, once again, offering up an alternate hook with a catchy vocal topline. [4.5/5]
‘Caja de la Sala’: An off-cut that maybe could have been spared. If you’re reading a book on a beach in Barcelona, then you will not mind its moody company, but for all other purposes, it sounds just more like a tuning-up than a song. [1.5/5]
‘Three From Two’: Their last record was with Vieux Farka Touré, and they have evidently learned his little trick of slipping in double notes. This intricate guitar playing gives the track an unusual texture. It is just perhaps lacking a topline. [3/5]
‘A Love International’: At this point, props must surely be given to the production. The singular echo chamber that reverberates throughout is a luscious and evocative sound. It creates a bed for fantastic little flourishes like the hi-hat work in this track that keeps the details fresh. [3.5/5]
‘Les Petits Gris’: Keys uncharacteristically kickstart the final track, almost catching you by surprise in the softest way possible. What I like about Khruangbin is that it is just about as close as you can get to a virtual holiday. Somewhere in the tender swell, you find yourself on a Parisian balcony in early May. And that’s achieved with a few notes sparsely placed and pure class. [4.5/5]
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