II

Chronique

On their second full-length, Thai ensemble Khun Narin make no attempts to update their sound, continuing to play their free-spirited brand of instrumental psychedelic rock with no impositions from any sort of corporation or recording industry. As with their debut, II was recorded during one of the group's outdoor concerts, and this seems like the only logical way to capture the band's art. Even though the drums sound thin, attempting to give them a compressed sound in a recording studio would just end up sucking the life out of the music. The group's sound is spontaneous and malleable yet tightly controlled, and it seems like they could roll up to any location with their portable custom speaker cabinet and start a party in no time. The band plays clear melodies on an electrified phin (a pear-shaped lute instrument native to Thailand), often dousing the instrument with psychedelic fuzz distortion, and anchoring everything with strong, resonant bass playing. The eight songs here are often joyous and celebratory, but there are slower, more reflective moments like "Baisi Sukhwan" countering the faster numbers such as "Chackim." As with the best instrumental rock music, songs like "Long Wat" express a vast array of emotions through inspired musicianship rather than with lyrics or vocalizations. The album is a classic case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" -- the group astounded audiences when videos of their performances first hit the Internet, and there's no reason for them to alter their approach in any way.

© Paul Simpson /TiVo