King Khan and the Shrines

The Supreme Genius Of

Vice Records

Make sure all the volume needles are in the red, don’t worry about the blown left speaker, tell the neighbors to go ahead and call the cops and double-check the home insurance premium is paid, because King Khan and the Shrines are here to build your hormones up, then tear your playhouse down. This band is such a divine disaster that there’s simply no way not to love them. Imagine the ‘60s hit “Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love)” soaked in kerosene for 40 years, filtered through the manic intensity of nine crazed Germans  dragged across several continents stuffed inside a VW bus and then poured onto stage right after the band consumed six big Black Mollys each. The Shrines are the epitome of experiential lunatics--those that will say or play anything--and King Khan’s the kind of lead singer to spur his fellow band mates way past the point of no return. Some may call this music retro, but since there’s never been anything exactly like this, it’s clear they’re not trying to redo anything. The group likely lost much of their hearing a long time ago, but it doesn’t stop them from trying to invent a new groove for the future. And while there may be no lack of humor in songs like “Land of the Freak” and “Welfare Bread,” that doesn’t mean the fellows are laughing at anything. The only cover song King Khan and the Shrines perform is by that sultan of rock & roll surrealism Bo Diddley, who rarely smiled while he turned his hambone beat into a stellar career. This is the music of tomorrow, when camels have replaced cars and the hills are alive with the sound of mutiny. Have fun.