King Khan & The Shrines/Mikal Cronin - Bruise Cruise Vol. 7

Well this is an impressive pairing for this split, part of a series to commemorate some rich American indie kids watching some ace bands on a boat. I'm just jealous. I'll start with Cronin anyway...this cleanshirt was in the Moonhearts and his solo stuff to date has been really infectious garage pop with a bit of '60s jangle. His recent 7” 'Tide' was superb, and his contribution to this 7” is really great too, with a Spector-esque tambourine stomp and loud wibbly guitar leads and falsetto backing vocals. I think I even spot a little understated brass in there but I'm not certain. The more I listen to this track the more I like it. It's a simply constructed pop song but the soothing vocal tones and the jagged high-gain guitar leads go together fantastically well. Once again the boy Cronin has done a cracker. On the flip Canada's psych titan King Khan has sent out his mystical clarion call and once again his Shrines have gathered in a studio for their first studio recording in a while. I saw these guys last year and they were a total riot and this song is just insanely good, it totally captures what's great about their live shows but streamlines it into a garage pop gem that's over in a flash with bright horns and organs and a bouncy beat. Both these songs are brilliant but the Khan one just edges it for me. Essential stuff from two of the hottest names in garage pop.