Khan

I have a few bona fide pet peeves: when an artist’s work blatantly resembles that of another’s (intentionally or not); and when a featured track on an album contains no substantive resemblance to the remaining tracks yet is simply and plainly superior to them. "Excommunication,” the leadoff track on Khan’s Who Never Rests, falls victim to both of these idiosyncrasies. The funky, high-octane dirge is strikingly similar to "Druganaut,” the aural orgasm that ceremoniously broke BC’s Black Mountain two years ago. Also aggravating of "Excommunication” is its audacity, especially amongst the disc’s other offerings, to not be a laidback, psychedelic dance punk number. Now, this is Khan’s first proper solo album after a decade-long career that saw a handful of collaborative efforts released on Matador, as well as a flattering resume fostering underground electro in the ’90s. Maybe Khan the matador just needs a stately court working with him to satisfy his whimsical musings. This stuff he’s trying right now is neither flattering nor terribly innovative.