I know you're thinking "if I hear about ONE more Palestinian-Filipino one-man band, I'm leaving this blog for good." But hear me out. Because this is some balls-out thrash-garage-rock that will restore your faith in the survival of real guitar music.
LA-based Hanni El Khatib's sound pays homage to the mid-century Americana aesthetic that paved the way for rock and roll, from soulful, dark blues to Shangri-La's-ish doo-wap. This is the musical equivalent to a knife-fight at the malt shop.
Comparisons to the Black Keys and the White Stripes are numerous and inevitable. Khatib also just finished a tour opening for
Florence and the Machine. And California-based music writers consistently place him on their "
ones to
watch"
lists. So you could say that the multi-instrumentalist is receiving all the right exposure to become the next big thing in rock. But I like to think that the inherent fucking coolness of someone who
makes music "written for anybody who's ever been shot or hit by a train" will do the trick on its own.
(Music available from
Stones Throw.)
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