-There are a few reasons why Khruangbin and Leon Bridges make ideal collaborators. The former makes a hypnotic style of psychedelic groove, the latter is an old-school soul man – and both artists give the impression their music was recorded in a bygone era. In addition, there’s the fact that both acts are Texan. The four songs on this EP play to the strengths of both artists, placing Bridge’s Marvin Gaye / Sam Cooke croon against the blissed-out funk of Khruangbin.
The EP opens with the title track, a countrified amble along one of the many desert highways that ribbon the Lone Star State. Acoustic guitar and the plaintive wail of a pedal steel accompany a laid-back rhythm section as Bridges invites the listener to “come on roll with me ‘til the sun goes down”, invoking the most chill, inviting road trip you can imagine.
Things get a little eerier on the next song Midnight, a slow funk burner with sliding, rubbery bass from Laura Lee and some haunting synths. Bridges portrays a lover reminiscing about a romance consummated in the back of a car – an ode to the long forgotten experiences of youth.
After that comes the third song on the EP, somewhat wittily titled C-Side. While by no means urgent, there is a slighter busier arrangement as tinkles of percussion are drizzled over a distant wah-guitar echoing through the left channel of the speaker and the cool-as-a-cucumber addition of vibraphone, as well as backing vocals that recall Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin’ On.
The most expansive slow jam closes the EP. Clocking in at just under seven minutes, Conversion has the leisurely pace of something like Smokey Robinson’s A Quiet Storm but with sparser, drier instrumentation. This, indeed, is a regular feature of the EP – the production is full and satisfying, with clarity between the drums, bass, guitar, percussion and keyboards, but there’s also a sparseness to these four songs that indeed, evokes both the size and unchanging desert landscapes that stretch over so much of Texas.
It’s evocative music that brings to mind both memories and geographical locations – pick your favourite long highway drive. Even better, it’s a leisurely musical journey that isn’t in a hurry to get anywhere. In these stressful times, this is a balm we could all use.
- Matt Thrower.