Texan trio Khruangbin have drawn plenty from far-flung sources, inflecting their tangy, featherweight instrumental funk with souvenirs of southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Their latest brings them right back home for a four-pack of finely wrought, eminently laidback numbers graced by the raspy, hospitable vocals of throwback soul singer Bridges. Equal parts soul, country & western, and twangy psych-rock, Texas Sun is an American record through and through, though as exotic and evocative as anything Khruangbin have done. The title track is a winner, simple, strong and clearly built to last, but the more complex and counterintuitively nocturnal C-Side, with its beguiling vibraphone and disorienting touches of dub, is the most intriguing track of the bunch.
