khruangbin
‘The Big Climate Thing’ Benefit Concert Postponed to 2023
The environmental benefit The Big Climate Thing, “a concert for people and the planet” scheduled for Sept. 16-18 at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in New York, has been postponed until 2023. “The artists, climate movement leaders, and partners of this event take the responsibility of representing those fighting for survival on the front lines of ecological disaster and environmental justice incredibly seriously,” organizers Climate Control Project said in a statement. “Collectively, we felt that if we couldn’t produce the event in a way that met the high standards for participation and impact that are the foundation of The Big Climate Thing, then it was the responsible choice to postpone until we can. We are so grateful to have had this chance to form a vital community with you and look forwa...
Vieux Farka Touré Salutes His Father Ali on New Album With Khruangbin
Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré salutes his profoundly influential late father Ali with the help of Khruangbin on the artists’ upcoming collaborative album, Ali. The eight-track collection comprises material previously recorded and performed by Ali, the African desert blues pioneer who died in 2006 at age 66. Ali arrives Sept. 23 on Dead Oceans and is led by the track “Savanne,” which is out today (July 27). “I want this album to convey love,” Vieux says. “It is about the love that Ali brought into the world. It is about the love that I have for him and that Khruangbin has for his music. It is about pouring your love into something old to make it new again.” “We made this album to honor Ali’s life and body of work,” the members of Khruangbin say. “We hope this collaboration enlightens m...
Listen to Khruangbin and Leon Bridges’ Simmering New Single ‘Chocolate Hills’
The latest, stripped-down single, “Chocolate Hills,” off Khruangbin and Leon Bridges‘ forthcoming follow-up EP, Texas Moon, is out today. “Chocolate Hills” carries on the band and Bridges’ collaboration traditions of genre-crossing and honoring the spirit of the sounds rooted in Texas. Bridges’ smooth, honeyed croon atop Khruangbin’s soothing bassline, Hammond organ, and synthesizers invite a more seductive track to the Texas Sun / Texas Moon aura.Texas Moon is out February 18 via Dead Oceans, in partnership with Columbia Records and Night Time Stories Ltd. [embedded content][embedded content] The collaborative duo previewed the upcoming EP with a video for the already released track “B-Side,” shot in the J. Lorraine Ghost Town and directed by Philip Andelman. It marks the f...
What Do James Taylor and Khruangbin Have in Common?
There is a small upper crust of acts who have been playing huge venues for decades and are still able to fill arenas and stadiums. The shortlist would include the Rolling Stones, Eagles, Billy Joel, The Who, Springsteen and Elton John; each artist has been consistently selling out gigs since the 1970s. But right below that collection of rock royalty sit the larger swath of artists who have likewise been touring for years but are probably unable to fill venues in the same way. By cleverly joining forces, artists like Jackson Browne and James Taylor, both world-class touring veterans, are able to ensure robust ticket sales, especially among their fanbase hesitant about COVID. And then there is a group of newer artists that has been steadily building a fanbase, and will likely be touring for ...
Khruangbin and Leon Bridges Announce Follow-Up Album Texas Moon
Khruangbin and Leon Bridges teamed up again for their forthcoming EP, Texas Moon, out February 18. The record is an extension of the two’s chart-topping, 2020 release, Texas Sun. The 5-track EP will release via Dead Oceans, in partnership with Columbia Records and Night Time Stories Ltd. Alongside the announcement, the collaboration unveiled the video for “B-Side,” which was shot in the J. Lorraine Ghost Town and directed by Philip Andelman. [embedded content][embedded content] Paying homage to their mutual home state of Texas—and to the marriage of country and R&B within it—Texas Moon examines the state’s musical perception. “It’s like a short story…,” Laura Lee of Khruangbin said of the EP in a statement. “And it leaves room to continue having these stories together. I...
The 50 Best Rock Bands Right Now
First, let’s take care of the obvious. Despite the still-persistent narrative that such music is “dead,” there are way more than 50 excellent rock bands out there. And there’s no exact science to scooping the cream of the crop. Our list includes arena-packing veterans but also semi-obscure indie acts who’ve barely escaped their basements. There are no hard rules here. Our methodology was simple: ask our writers and staff which rock bands feel worthy of recognition right now. But we did aim for a wide scope — throughout, you’ll find flavors of psych, post-punk, hardcore, metal, even country. If it feels like rock, it’s on the table. Consider SPIN‘s 2021 roundup — just like last year’s — a thermometer, taking the temperature of modern rock in all its various mutations. Altın Gün Ho...
The 30 Best Albums of 2020
After a deluge of canceled or delayed tours, drive-in experiments, Bandcamp Fridays and bedroom livestreams, we’re finally here. Yay? It’s hard to celebrate much of anything in 2020. But one encouraging sign from the music industry has been the number of artists innovating on the fly — figuring out ways to sustain their careers through the madness. And as fans, at least we’ve had new albums to help us process our continuing semi-apocalypse. Having (mercifully) reached the end of this awful year, we have even more perspective on the functionality of a great record. The 30 we’ve assembled here have prompted us to dance, helped us grieve, made us laugh, or even just allowed us to escape into a transportive riff or soundscape. We assume they did the same for the artists themselves. Let us reme...
