Khruangbin – Zonker.net

February 1, 2023

Quick links: Middle Ages cat names, Turkish Funk, Java price increases…

AI-generated picture of a cat staring at a computer, in a woodcut / watercolor style.

A couple of quick links today for your enjoyment:

I’ve written about my cats and their many nicknames. But have you ever wondered what people named their cats in the middle ages? Apparently Open Culture has given this some thought. My question is… what have my cats named me?
A little Bandcamp recommendation magic from Khruangbin led me on a little exploration to find some Turkish psychedelic funk by Beynelmilan. Check out Anatolian Funk if you dare. It’s damn good.
Really interesting piece on Ars about Jimmy Carter and the Space Shuttle program. We’ve been watching For All Mankind recently, so I found the Ars post (which is not about a divergent timeline) really interesting.
Price hikes for Oracle Java. Good coverage from SMK, but I do wish there was a breakdown of how much of a price hike and whether there’s any new goodness to justify the price increase.

That’s it for today, we now return you to your regularly scheduled Internet.

January 31, 2023

“Con Todo El Mundo” – Khruangbin

Album cover, "Con Todo El Mundo" by Khruangbin. Features a beige cover with a small photo of cows standing in a field with the title of the album underneath.

Took a little detour on revisiting my top 100 albums but we’re back with Con Todo El Mundo by Khruangbin. It’s easy to see why this album didn’t make the cut in 2016: It wasn’t released until 2018.

I think I stumbled on Khruangbin via an NPR Tiny Desk concert. It was an instant click, love at first sound.

The band’s sound is a fusion of influences from around the world. Largely instrumental, you’ll be able to pick out a lot of pop, funk, surf guitar, psychedelic and other influences that all come together to form something really special.

Con Todo El Mundo is still my favorite Khruangbin album, though they’ve been quite prolific since its release with Mordechai, Mordechai Remixes, Texas Moon, and last year’s Ali. (Plus a few singles thrown in and contributing to Paul McCartney’s McCartney III Imagined with a remix of his “Pretty Boys.”

But this album just has that extra something that puts it over the top. Listen to “Lady and Man” for example. It’s got a monster funk groove, some vintage 70s guitar work, with a background chorus that you’ll be singing to yourself long after the album ends.

“Maria Tambien,” is a slinky number that always has me dancing or tapping my feet. Such solid percussion and bass work, it’s deceptively simple and draws you right in.

My favorite track, though, has to be “Evan Finds the Third Room.” Yes, this is the Third Room. Yes. Mark Speer’s guitar is nimble and perfect, Laura Lee’s bass and DJ’s drumming plus a little spoken word chorus make for an instant classic.

They’ve had quite a bit of attention since 2018, but if you haven’t caught up with Khruangbin yet, start with this album. I had the good fortune to snag tickets to see them at The Lincoln in Raleigh at the tail end of 2018 before they really took off and started doing much bigger shows. They’re just as good live as they are on record, which is to say amazing.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=906393946 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

April 28, 2021

Jukebox selections: MASTER BOOT RECORD, The Jayhawks, Paul McCartney meets Khruangbin

Album cover: "Tomorrow the green grass" by the Jayhawks

Been a bit between posts, so here’s another run at the jukebox for all my readers looking for a few good tunes to pass the time. Some oldies, some goodies, nothing boring and all good for your soul.

Zenith (Riktam Remix) by MVMB & ALL’IN – IbogaTech

This is a melodic psytrance piece that runs seven minutes and never lets up. If I were the Peloton type, I’d definitely queue this one up for a indoor cycling session. But, alas, I am not. So I merely listen to this while typing. Give it a listen on Bandcamp, I think you’ll be hooked.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1093589695 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Tomorrow the Green Grass by The Jayhawks

This isn’t a new release nor is it new to me, but I put this on for the millionth time last night and it’s still just as fresh and enjoyable as the first time I listened to it. This album was a recommendation from a friend in college, who dubbed it to cassette for me. I can still remember popping it into my car stereo driving between Columbia, MO and Kirksville, MO – not knowing what to expect, I wasn’t quite braced for it.

Depending on who you ask this fits into the “country rock,” “alternative country” or “alternative rock” genre. There’s definitely a bit of twang and country influence here, and I’d be shocked if Mark Olson and Gary Louris didn’t have some Lynyrd Skynyrd albums in their collection. But the album really transcends genre, it’s just damn good music.

[youtube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kGKXzr_-UvUI-9otP8G8i50Kqm3cbvJNM]

INTERNET PROTOCOL by MASTER BOOT RECORD

Loved the concept, an album with songs inspired by various protocols (FTP, IRC, HTTP, POP3 and Gopher!), but wasn’t sure the execution would live up to it. Turns out, it does. This is great video-gamish music that is fantastic to work to or just enjoy. This is nerd rock at its finest. Ironically it is available as download, vinyl or cassette – but not CD. Sigh. (Can’t argue with the digital download price, though. One Euro is completely reasonable.)

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=238542805 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Paul McCartney meets Khruangbin

Paul McCartney’s McCartney III was some of the best work that the former Beatle has turned in for quite a while. Clearly he made good use of the quarantine time to put together a fine album, but then did us one better and reached out to a number of contemporary artists to remix/re-imagine songs on the album as McCartney III Imagined.

I absolutely love what Khruangbin (another favorite of mine) have done with “Pretty Boys,” and highly recommend giving it a listen.

[youtube https://youtu.be/K-sjSobYNag]

It’d be amazing to put McCartney and Khruangbin in a studio and go for a full album.

What are you listening to?

That’s it for me on this installment. What are you listening to these days?

February 21, 2021

Ikebe Shakedown delivers cinematic instrumental funk

Ikebe Shakedown is another Bandcamp discovery. The band specializes in cinematic soul, an instrumental brand of soul/funk that feels like it should be straight out of a 70s cop or heist movie or a Tarantino soundtrack.

The band does burning jams and introspective cuts that feel like instant classics. If you aren’t moved by their tunes, you might want to consult your doctor.

Continue reading “Ikebe Shakedown delivers cinematic instrumental funk”