If the whole garage rock revolution that swept the indie rock world five years ago is over then someone forgot to tell King Khan and the Shrines. This ten piece band embraces all the best elements of rock and roll as well as soul and whips them up into a frenzied frenetic whirlwind of tunes, like few other bands can. Their most recent album, What Is is a blast of rock and soul that is just now making its appearance in the States after being released in 2007 overseas.
Listening to What Is is like being teleported back to 1968 sitting in a field somewhere waiting for Sam and Dave and The Standells to play next to 90's garage preachers, The Make Up. The album is filled with raw grooves and raw riffs that blast out of your speakers like a fury of angry musicians on a rampage. What Is is loud, crazy, and groovy baby...groovy.
"Land of the Freak," for example, is like being at a Stax/Volt festival with enough southern soul grooves, quirky lyrics, and more funk and soul than you could ever imagine while "(How Can I Keep You) Outta Harms Way," opens the record with a floor burner, horn led groover that will wear holes in your shoes. Having not taken What Is out of my CD player here for a day, I can safely say I'm worn out from it's never ending supply of raw soul and rock and roll.
Truth be told, it's a good thing no one told King Khan that the whole garage rock revival thing was being left for The Hives, because this band just amazing. What Is is a brilliant and essential record that's a revivalist's dream come true, long may the supreme genius of King Khan carry on.
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