This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.
The Universe Smiles Upon You is the debut studio album by American musical trio Khruangbin. It was released November 6, 2015 under Night Time Stories label. Max Savage Levenson of Paste reviewed The Universe Smiles Upon You is "a subtle dance, a constellation of small movements and highly nuanced arrangements that unfolds seamlessly, like ripples on the water." Peter Helman of Stereogum said "The album is something both groove-heavy and dreamy, and it absolutely evokes the deep-in-the-wilderness".
Triple thank you for submitting this album. Such soothing and calming music is very welcome. Loved every second of it
Good morning album 4
I consider Khruangbin one of the best bands to emerge in the past 10 years. Definitely list worthy.
I liked the vibe and energy with this, an enjoyable listen. A lot of that noodley jazz/jam band thing that does leave me wondering how much there is really there... but I feel like I want to check out more from this band.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Two fish and an an elephant, White gloves, People everywhere, The man who took my sunglasses, Zionsville
I struggled to 'get' this band up until the beginning of this year when I stumbled upon their Pitchfork Live set on YouTube (which you should watch if you even casually liked this album). I love instrumental work, but from the few tracks I had heard throughout the years felt that Khruangbin's style was too mellow and samey for my tastes. Felt like an idiot when I dove further into their discography and found that this band fucking rocks! A great mix of tempos, moods, and vibes that's executed to perfection by three musicians at the peak of their craft. Not a single note, groove, or lick is out of place here as the whole outfit runs with clockwork precision, yet the overall feeling is anything but mechanical – instead, every track feels like an organic, living thing that has grown into itself, lived-in but new and fresh at the same time. No wonder this band is selling out shows for minimal, instrumental music in an age where excess and lyrics dominate – this is a great add to the list and a deserved recognition!
This is really nice. Mellow with nice grooves. I could listen to it all day. 4 stars.
No idea what this is, but I like the cover art so I want it to be cool. And it's psychedelic stoner jam rock, which I like today. Thank you whoever chose this. 4/5.
Nice
Inoffensive bluesy soul and pop guitar instrumentals. Some excellent passages, all pleasant and very little mediocre.
Very nice, highly listenable stuff. I would definitely like to spend more time with this. It has a bit of a diffuse vintage vibe, while still sounding quite fresh. The lyrics and vocals, such as they are, are shallow and don't add much value to the music. But the quality of this is strong enough that I'm willing to overlook it. Fave Songs: The Man Who Took My Sunglasses, Balls and Pins, August Twelve, Zionsville, People Everywhere (Still Alive), White Gloves
I discovered Khruangbin through an interesting sort of backdoor but have always enjoyed their chill AF vibes. Hard to give something like this 5 stars. I can't really differentiate from track to track, let alone album to album. Is this the best example of their work? Who can say. I suppose if it's a 5-star experience then it deserves 5.
This has an interesting mix of 60s beach music with a dash of retro tiki-lounge - maybe the Ventures meets Martin Denny? A relaxing and enjoyable listen that I really love! Who knew people were making this sort of thing in this century? Terrific!
A very nice groove to this!
Fantastic album by a great band. I prefer their second album most as it’s the perfect combo of fun instrumentals with funky beats and just enough lyricism to keep me interested. This album has that in a couple songs but not all. Some of the songs are pretty chill and don’t expand more than that. But still a solid listen. 7.3/10
Psychedelic rock, surf rock, funk, instrumental rock, dub, rock. Ni fu ni fa.
I find this a little bit hard to rate. It has some nice songs but oh boy did I find some of them boring as well. I'm completely middle of the road on this one.
Soothing and calming, but without resorting to ambient, bing and nature noises. I liked it. Rating: 3.5 Playlist track: People Everywhere (Still Alive) Date listened: 02/12/24
Competently played, well written, but ends up being too smooth and slides right into the background, even when you try to focus on it. Favorite track: "Balls And Pins"
This is a lounge or erotic movie atmosphere 😆... No, seriously this type of album is one of those that I consider unfair because it is based on only music without interpretation, so it cannot go further in rating in relation to music with lyrics or performer. 2.5 stars
nice background music
This was very bland. I've heard much better things from Khruangbin but I don't know about full albums.
Not for me.