Khruangbin’s Laura Lee picks her favourite album of all time
Since 2010, Laura Lee, Mark Speer and Donald ‘DJ’ Johnson Jr have been making music under the name Khruangbin. Following their appearance on Bonobo’s Late Night Tales compilation in 2014, the band released their debut album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, a year later to critical acclaim.
The band’s debut was well-received, noted for its mix of global influences, with Thai music, in particular, informing their psychedelic sound. However, they found even greater success with Con Todo El Mundo, released in 2018, which launched them to further praise. The record sounds like hazy summer evenings pressed on wax, immersing the listener in complete relaxation with every spin. Middle Eastern influences blend with soul and funk, and the band let leading vocals take the backseat.
Notably, Khruangbin have also collaborated with artists like Leon Bridges, most recently releasing a collaborative album, Ali, with Vieux Farka Touré. It’s clear that the band are well-attuned to music from different genres and cultures, weaving these influences into their own distinctive sound. In an interview with The Line of Best Fit, bassist Laura Lee discussed some of her favourite albums, with one in particular standing out as “a huge part of my musical DNA”.
She picked out Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg’s Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg, stating, “I was introduced to it by Mark around the time that I met him. It became my favourite album at the time, and then it led me on a Serge Gainsbourg discovery.”
Lee continued: “With this particular album I love the combination of Jane Birkin’s innocence over Serge Gainsbourg’s expert-level arrangement and direction.”
“In my early days of Khruangbin, when I was feeling particularly insecure playing next to Mark and DJ, who have been playing music their whole life, I always looked to Jane Birkin as inspiration for how naivety can be a strength,” she added. “It gave me that sort of power at that time, but I’m somebody who is pretty comfortable jumping into different things or into new worlds. DJ especially likes to think of me as somebody who has had nine lives, and I think I found music as great of an adventure as I did anything else. Now it’s my greatest potential.”
Lee also discussed her love of the song ‘Jane B’ on the album, which utilises Chopin’s ‘Prelude’, transforming it into a sultry French pop song. “It’s also one of the most incredible covers I’ve ever known,” she said. “I’m really picky about covers, because I think unless you’re doing something different or new or better than the original, it should be left alone.”
Finally, Lee concluded: “Obviously, you have to be pretty ballsy to cover Chopin in this way, but it’s so tasteful and beautifully done. I think it inspired me in that way as well. I played piano when I was a kid, and the bass in that album is my ideal bass; I’m always trying to get the tone on that record.”
Listen to ‘Jane B’ below.
