Khruangbin and Leon Bridges - Texas Sun
Review by Paddy, Rough Trade office
"It is comforting and courageous to find two things that have no inherent connection, but once married together, it is hard to believe they weren’t destined to share the same plate."
Someone recently pointed me in the direction of an extract by Nigel Slater: “What Goes With What”, a short but highly satisfying musing on combining different flavours, textures and temperatures to create some form of divine harmony. It is comforting and courageous to find two things that have no inherent connection, but once married together, it is hard to believe they weren’t destined to share the same plate. Strawberries and cream, pork and apple, salty fish and sour lemon.
The new partnership between globetrotting psychedelic aliens, Khruangbin and the soul time machine Leon Bridges, is exactly what Slater was talking about, he was just looking in a different direction. The rich but refined tones of Leon Bridges have such elegance and indulgence that they could have been constructed by the hands of Paris’ finest patisserie. Khruangbin, glow with a natural mysticism that reflects the lone-star states rugged beauty, the sandstone encrusted landscapes, somehow both sparse and abundant.
The contrast of these two sounds makes for a tantalising listen. The smooth silk of Bridges voice coats Khruangbin’s cool and crisp, woven layers. Texas Sun proves that Leon Bridges is the cream begging to be poured over Khruangbin’s strawberries.
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