King Khan & the Gris Gris
Murder Burgers
(self-released)

If you ever wondered what exactly King Khan is King of, I think it’s the ampersand. After teaming up with California garage-psych band The Gris Gris for a track on the Garage Swim compilation album, they decided to put out a full album as King Khan & the Gris Gris. That album, Murder Burgers, is further proof that in addition to being a lovable mischief maker/maniac, King Khan is a really good musician. King Khan’s last album with the Shrines, Idle No More, pushed the definition of garage rock and this album continues in that vein. For the most part, the vibe here is pretty chilled-out. “Discreet Disguise “ sets the psychedelic tone that’s followed throughout. “It’s Just Begun” is a rootsy, Dylanesque tune, which finds Khan and Greg Ashley’s voices blending marvelously while “Too Hard and Too Fast” is a slow-building R&B jam, complete with strings. In case you were worried, there’s fast stuff too. “Born in 77” sounds like a song that was born in ’77 itself in downtown New York and “Your Teeth are Shite” is dumb rock at its best. On Murder Burgers, King Khan continues to show how well he plays with others while The Gris Gris just became a band I’m a lot more curious about.

You can listen to the album here.