Tuesday 27 August 2013

King Khan and the Shrines - Darkness

Single review by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk


Canadian garage titan King Khan likes to keep himself busy, be it working with BBQ, working on solo material or other collaborative projects, but 'Idle No More' will be the first album by King Khan and the Shrines since 2008, and that's quite some time ago. The Canadian/German collective return next week though, and current single 'Darkness' is probably not what you were expecting. As is well known, King Khan and his many projects usually involve fairly traditional garage-rock and a twist of psychedelia on top. This doesn't really fit the bill.

Coming over like one of the great Motown or Stax legends of the past, 'Darkness' is a soul ballad that barely even hints at the raw sounds the group are usually credited with. In fact guitars are few and far between, instead being replaced by brass and piano. It's a bit of deviation for sure, and probably the last thing you'd expect as a comeback single. It's not a case of returning with a whimper and not a bang, because this truly is a good song, but something of greater impact may have been anticipated. That said, if the entire album is a diversion in style then perhaps this is their way of teasing us in gently. Either way, it sounds splendid.





King Khan and the Shrines' website

Buy the album

Catch them live:

08/28 - LUXEMBOURG - EXIT07
08/29 - HAARLEM, NL - PATRONAAT, DUTCH GARAGE ROCK EXPLOSION
08/30 - NORTH DORSET, UK - LARMER TREE GARDENS, END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL
08/31 - JERSEY, UK - JERSEY LIVE FESTIVAL
09/01 - LONDON, UK - XOYO, THE BLUES KITCHEN EXPLOSION
09/02 - BRIGHTON, UK - THE HAUNT
09/03 - ROUEN, FR - LE SHARI VARI
09/04 - PARIS, FR - TRABENDO
09/05 - BRUSSELS, B - MAGASIN 4
09/06 - VLIELAND, NL - GREAT WIDE OPEN
10/11 - SAN DIEGO, CA - CASBAH
10/12 - LOS ANGELES, CA - CULTURE COLLIDE FESTIVAL
10/13 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SLIMS
10/14 - PORTLAND, OR - DANTES
10/15 - VANCOUVER, BC - THE RICKSHAW THEATRE
10/16 - SEATTLE, WA - NEUMOS
10/17 - BOISE, ID - NEUROLUX
10/18 - SALT LAKE CITY, UT - URBAN LOUNGE
10/19 - DENVER, CO - LARIMER LOUNGE
10/20 - KANSAS CITY, KS - THE RECORD BAR
10/21 - ST PAUL, MN - TURF CLUB
10/22 - MADISON, WI - HIGH NOON SALOON
10/23 - CHICAGO, IL - BOTTOM LOUNGE
10/24 - CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH - GROG SHOP
10/25 - DETROIT, MI - MAGIC STICK
10/26 - TORONTO, ON - LEGENDARY HORSESHOW TAVERN
10/27 - MONTREAL, QC - LE TULIP
10/29 - BOSTON, MA - BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL
10/30 - NEW YORK, NY - WEBSTER HALL
10/31 - PHILADELPHIA, PA - UNION TRANSFER
11/01 - WASHINGTON, DC - BLACK CAT
11/02 - DURHAM, NC - MOTORCO MUSIC HALL
11/04 - ATLANTA, GA - TERMINAL WEST
11/05 - BIRMINGHAM, AL - BOTTLE TREE
11/06 - NEW ORLEANS, LA - SIBERIA
11/08 - 10 - AUSTIN, TX - FUN FUN FUN FEST
11/12 - EL PASO, TX - TRICKY FALLS
11/13 - PHOENIX, AZ - THE CRESCENT BALLROOM





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