King Khan and the Shrines
(Vice)
Montreal mayhemist King Khan (aka Blacksnake) made his name in the legendarily destructive Spaceshits and in scorching garage rock partnership with Mark Sultan (a/k/a BBQ), but he comes into his own with the R&B-horned Shrines. This a pick-up band of mostly Teutonic all-stars (but also Curtis Mayfield percussionist Ron Streeter) accumulated after King Khan jumped a tour van in Germany round about the turn of the century. Raucous tours and German-only singles ensued, but until now you couldn’t hear speed crazed, 1960s jiving “Land of the Freak” in the, er, Land of the Free.
A 16-cut singles compilation fixes all that, splicing Sonics-style howls to Stax-y surges, tambourine-man beats to searing MC5 guitar riffs. Best cuts are frantic brass and Booker T groove-fests – “Torture, “Land of the Freak” – but save room for Khan’s goofy ode to super-sized women (“I Took My Lady Out to Dinner”). Supreme genius indeed.
Standout Tracks: “Torture,” “Land of the Freak,” “I Wanna Be a Girl” JENNIFER KELLY
