But in addition to digging up old treasures, the New York based imprint issues new groups, who for the most part have an eye to the past, it’s recordings and its heroes. So, in putting work out by Arish Ahmad Khan, better known to garage enthusiasts as King Khan, and his various pseudonyms, Norton’s in effect cementing more music’s historical import. At some point in the next few decades, it wouldn’t be too much of a shock if a compilation cropped up with a number of disparate players redoing Khan’s various compositions. There’re surely enough to go around.
Either way, this latest project called Tandoori Knights plays on Khan’s background, he’s joined by Bloodshot Bill whose own album as the Ding Dongs is being sent off into the world by Norton as well.
With any work from these fellows, though, there’s bound to be a range of auld tyme rock stuffs. Boiling this all down to garage is reductive, but there’s really no other way to understand the mélange of sounds that counts as “Roam the Land” but then works its way into stuff like “Big Belly Giant.” That first track from Tandoori Knights sports a pronounced Eastern flavor as referenced in the band’s name. Latter, though, there’s as much raunchy RnB as anything else with some supplemental war whoops serving as backing vocals.
The ability for Khan and Bill to integrate these disparate sounds isn’t a shock any longer. And hopefully anyone reading this was able to catch the Shrines during the few trips around the country it made, spreading facile grooves flavored with trash and unnecessary nudity.
It’s this sort of admiration for all sounds, though, that enables Khan to work continuously. Moving from straight garage stuff alongside BBQ then off to some more folkish stuffs, that aforementioned funk and now this spawns innumerable fans – some might take a liking to a few acts, or maybe all. But in the current climate of group’s touring non-stop, it’s refreshing to see a player working to craft something new just about every time he swings around. Boss sounds all around.