Khruangbin
and fellow Texan
Leon Bridges
get on so well that they refer to their association in familial terms, so it's no surprise that they reconvened in Houston to knock out a sequel (or flipside) to
Texas Sun
. Released almost exactly two years after that EP,
Texas Moon
is spacier and a little moodier, and
Bridges
' writing this time gets as personal and spiritual as it does in his solo work. "Doris," addressed to
' grandmother from his father's warmhearted perspective, has been in the singer's repertoire for at least seven years. It finally finds a home here as a wafting, star-speckled ballad. The greyscale-hued "Father Father" is so penitent and humbled that listening to it seems intrusive. "Chocolate Hills" and "Mariella," the romantic numbers, are all about escape and companionship with verses full of thoughtful imagery. The tempo is temporarily increased on "B-Side," where longing and desire flow out of a precise funk groove made for a dimly lit dancefloor. Augmented as usual by
Will Van Horn
on pedal steel,
keep it economical at a stringent level -- sometimes as if they're trying to see how little they can play. The results are nonetheless fulfilling. ~ Andy Kellman