Concert Review: Khruangbin brings magic to the Ascend Amphitheater
After over two years away from The Music City, Khruangbin return with their biggest headline show in Nashville to date.
Sometimes it can be hard to accurately describe a band, often they get pigeon-holed into a larger, more encompassing genre than any specific sound they may embody. Sometimes a band may get over-labelled, being confined into narrow set of parameters like “psychedelic world funk.” Khruangbin is one of those bands, and their live shows might be even harder to describe.
While I don’t think that aforementioned title is necessarily inaccurate when describing Khruangbin, it certainly is limiting. The band is currently out on tour supporting their fifth studio album, A LA SALA, and appropriately began their show with an entire set just playing the album front to back. Their opener, “Fifteen Fifty-Three” felt transient, enrapping the listener and immediately bringing the audience into a different headspace. Coated with an atmospheric haze coming on heavy from Mark Speer’s guitar, the band set a tone more akin to a more traditional indie rock sound than one might initially expect. Still, Laura Lee Ochoa’s bass playing adds a steady groove, and while it inherently maintains that baseline funk tone, it seems to transcend the boundary and mesh into Speer’s guitar as an almost unified voice. Additionally, even as a trio, the band manages to flesh out a very layered soundscape, with percussionist DJ Johnson adding in delicate touches of his cymbals, removing any thought of compression in the mix.
A LA SALA’s second single “May Ninth” soon followed, seeing the band step up to the plate on vocals. While their setlist featured a heavy blend of instrumental songs and passages, I believe that the band’s harmonies should not be overlooked. Drenched in reverb, the vocals sound ethereal. Again, the band manages to transport the crowd to another space. Despite the crowd of 6,000, this song felt incredibly personable, almost as if it was pointed directly at me. The magic surrounding it removed all the distractions surrounding me, the crowd, the lights, even Nashville’s skyline looming overhead; all of the focus was on the music. I have seen many, many concerts, and the ability to melt away outside forces like this with the music alone is a skill not many bands can even scatch.
In an effort to not make this an album review, I’m going to jump ahead to the band’s second set which saw a blend of songs from their back catalog. Particularly I want to mention “Two Fish and an Elephant,” a song that dives more directly into the band’s funkier side. A slick guitar, an intricate bassline, and drumming that feels effortless all feeling like standouts. This is one place the band really shines, no one member seems to overshadow another, often times the band feels more like a unified body than three individuals. At a technical level, this song highlights some of each member’s most complex playing into a palette that feels more akin to a band two, three times their size.
Setlist:
Fifteen Fifty-Three
May Ninth
Ada Jean
Farolim de Felgueiras
Pon Pón
Todavía Viva
Juegos y Nubes
Hold Me Up (Thank You)
Caja de la Sala
Three From Two
A Love International
Les Petits Gris
-
Mr. White
Two Fish and an Elephant
Dern Kala
So We Won’t Forget
Lady and Man
Evan Finds the Third Room
María También
Time (You and I)
-
Zionsville
People Everywhere (Still Alive)
Khruangbin are as much an experience as it is a musical act. There is so much depth and complexity within their work that it is incredibly easy to get lost in it. Despite a lengthy runtime, this show felt like it flew by. Perhaps in part due to the blending of songs one after another or perhaps some more cosmic feeling. Regardless, this is a must see show for any dedicated music fan. If the idea of a genre-less blend funk, surf, and psychedelia all mixed with various cultural influences perks your ears, go grab a ticket.
View the full live gallery here.