THE UNIVERSE SMILES UPON YOU

£5.995
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THE UNIVERSE SMILES UPON YOU

THE UNIVERSE SMILES UPON YOU

RRP: £11.99
Price: £5.995
£5.995 FREE Shipping

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On ‘Mordechai’, hints of music from around the globe underline the album’s groove-laden environment. Weaving Indian folk music, Jamaican dub, Congolese syncopated guitars with reference points to the South Asian musical innovation from the ‘70s and ‘80s, the trio have made an album still very much rooted in the city they call home. The album truly has a universal feel to it as it is not grounded to any particular time period or style. Guitarist Mark Speer and drummer Donald Johnson played gospel music together in Houston before incorporating bassist Laura Lee into the fold. As a trio, the band continued to search out interestingly good music, and they fell in love with the musings of Thai-funk from the 1960s and 1970s. Thai-funk by the way of Houston gospel is certainly a psychedelic concoction, but you can hear how well the band has blended those two influences together on the serene closer “Zionsville” or “Two Fish and an Elephant,” which breezes by with the calm of the ocean at sunset.

The Universe Smiles Upon You” has that rare quality of being able to be played in a loop without it growing old. It just spins with the tranquility of Earth in the quiet vastness of outer space as time becomes indefinite and we become connected to the farthest reaches of universe. It is impossible to hang that art neatly in frame in your house, so you gotta go out and experience it for yourself. Dearest Alfred’ brings to life Lee’s grandfather’s heartbreaking words to his twin brother (“ Can you imagine my joy / I received / Your wonderful letter”) while ‘So We Won’t Forget’ is a cry for the memory of love. ‘If There Is No Question’ sees Lee hypnotically repeat “You’re Not Crazy” over a captivating gospel beat, the kind performed by Speer and Johnson in church. The album’s irresistible closer, ‘Shida’, brings to mind British soul group Sade, with slight vocal sighs gently placed within the grooves of an alluring guitar-centric melody. Khruangbin have continually pointed towards the explosion of funk music that came out of Thailand in the ‘60s and ‘70s as a major source of inspiration; their most recent EP, History of Flight, was a collection of covers featuring some of their favorite Thai musicians. Yet while Mark Speer’s mercurial guitar tones bear a strong resemblance to albums by Thai forbearers like Dao Bandon and The Impossible, particularly on album opener “Mr. White” and the minor-key lurch of “Balls and Pins,” Khruangbin are interested in much more than simply paying homage.We never really thought of ourselves as having a “singer” but we knew that we wanted a voice for Khruangbin. We decided to write about something close to us, tell a story as simply as possible, and sing it together.”

Khruangbin first turned heads last year with the video for their song "A Calf Born in Winter," which Bonobo featured on his Late Night Tales mix and eventually led to a record deal from label subsidiary Night Time Stories. They recorded their debut full-lenth, The Universe Smiles Upon You (out November 6), in the countryside barn where they held their first rehearsals, and the band still refers to that space and their long drives across the pastoral East Texas landscape as their "spiritual home."

On The Go

Next year, we’re planning on touring quite a bit and doing as many UK/European festivals as we can over the summer. We’d also really like to do an American run (or two), so fingers and toes and everything crossed. And we hope to record at the end of next year for a 2017 release. Basically, we’re going to do everything we can to make this Khruangbin fly. With a whirlwind of success elevating the band to greater heights, you might expect a rushed third album – but Khruangbin neatly surprises with ‘Mordechai’. Underscored with memories and love for Houston, a city that shaped the trio, ‘Mordechai’ is the album on which they allow us further into their mysterious world.



  • Fruugo ID: 258392218-563234582
  • EAN: 764486781913
  • Sold by: Fruugo

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