The Supreme Genius of King Khan & The Shrines

"The fantastical tale of King "Bama Lama" Khan begins in 1995, when the Montreal-born son of immigrants from India (and self-professed grandson of the opium-addicted "Johnny Thunders of the sitar") left home to play bass for the Spaceshits, a Cramps-linked garage-rock group fronted by Mark Sultan, aka future King Khan partner BBQ Show. A few years later, while in Germany Khan formed "psychedelic soul big band" the Sensational Shrines. By 2004, King Khan and the Shrines had played shows across Europe, along the way releasing not just a handful of 7" and 10" records, but also two full-length albums: 2001's Three Hairs & You're Mine, which was produced by White Stripes engineer Liam Watson, and 2004's Mr. Supernatural.

It probably bodes well for King Khan and the Shrines that their best days aren't already, uh, years behind them. If you're a newcomer to their cracked vintage universe, The Supreme Genius of should be an excellent introduction, the band as they currently want the world to see them. If you arrived with What Is?!, this one might not get as many spins, but it'll still provide important context and a couple of tracks you probably hadn't heard. And if you've been listening to these guys since the Spaceshits...why the hell didn't you tell anyone?!"
- Marc Hogan (Pitchfork)