Texas Moon (Dead Oceans)
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges
Released February 18, 2022
DownBeat Four-and-a-Half-Star Review
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m1nQEpIwUEyk4XAsF0ZwVaKmUW-8Z_9d4
Spotify:
About:
Two of the acts boldly leading Texas music into the future have now delivered a second chapter of their groundbreaking collaboration, further extending the region’s sonic possibilities. Singer/songwriter Leon Bridges, from Ft. Worth, and trailblazing Houston trio Khruangbin have joined forces for the Texas Moon EP, a follow-up to 2020’s acclaimed Texas Sun project. While the five new songs are clearly a continuation of the first EP, they also have an identity all their own—Bridges calls it “more introspective,” while Khruangbin bassist Laura Lee says it “feels more night time.”
When Texas Sun was released, AllMusic called the results “intoxicating” and Paste noted that “their talents and character go together so well.” Now comes the next stage—a set of songs that touch on themes like love, faith, and death while exploring new dimensions of inventive, hypnotic grooves.
Significantly, both parties’ musical directions were clearly affected by their time working together. Khruangbin’s most recent album, Mordechai, moved their own vocals much further forward, a change they readily admit was a direct result of working with Bridges. Meanwhile, since these recordings began, in addition to his genre-defying album Gold-Digger’s Sound, Bridges has put out several other challenging, shared tracks, including work with John Mayer, Lucky Daye, and Jazmine Sullivan.
Texas Moon represents a genuine and rare achievement, with two of the most respected and innovative acts of their generation truly collaborating to create something new. “As far as an essentially instrumental band, these guys are kind of the top for me,” says Bridges. “I’m honored to have been the first singer that they’ve incorporated in their music.”
“It feels really special to me,” says Lee. “It’s not Khruangbin, it’s not Leon, it’s this world we created together.”
Track Listing:
1. Doris 03:50
2. B-Side 04:34
3. Chocolate Hills 03:10
4. Father Father 05:53
5. Mariella 05:10
Personnel:
Leon Bridges, vocals; Khruangbin, background vocals; Mark Speer, electric guitar, percussion, Hammond organ, synthesizer (3); Laura Lee, bass; Donald Johnson Jr., drums, SK-20 Symphonic Ensemble (1); Will Van Horn, pedal steel guitar (1, 3–5); Charlie Perez, conga, bongo (2)
Recorded at Terminal C
Produced by Khruangbin and Steve Christiansen
Recorded and Mixed by Steve Christiansen
Mastered by Chris Longwood
Design: Aaron Lowell Denton
Review:
Texas Moon is the spiritual flipside to Khruangbin and Leon Bridges’ 2020 release Texas Sun, and like that other brief yet adventurous romp, Texas Moon weaves together seemingly disparate musical traditions into one well-wrought psychedelic tapestry. This collection opens with “Doris,” a track meant to give a salt-of-the-earth woman her roses at the twilight of her life. Doused in liberal reverb and wah-wah guitar the way a New Orleans debutante of yesterday might have doused Evening In Paris on her collarbone, the sound captured here, replete with a waterlogged chorus repeating the subject’s name like a chant, sticks with you long after the track is over. The same could be said for all of the tracks: From the groovy, Afrobeat-flavored dancer “B-Side” to the Prince-inspired slow jam “Chocolate Hills,” and the country-by-way-ofsoul “Mariella,” each track furthers the overall sonic plot that the collective has explored since Texas Sun. Laura Lee’s luscious bass, Donald Johnson Jr.’s laid-back drums and Mark Speer’s hallucinogenic guitar, augmented to great effect by Will Van Horn’s windswept pedal steel, all perfectly support fellow Texan Leon Bridges, a vocalist who continues to delight with his intimate tone and phrasing.
Ayana Contreras (DownBeat)
