Charlie Khan
Charlie Khan
London, UK
Alternative
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"The Inimitable Mr Khan" is something of a lone wolf, a wandering bug eyed pup who skirts around the edges of reasonably respectable society much the same way mad drunks hang around outside banks to pester their clientelle. However, these bad lands offer a most excellent view of the world about, and what better place could there be to observe those wicked and selfish ways of others and the unforgiving world at large?
Playing bawdy pubs, stylish cocktail bars, chaotic house parties, respectable wine bars, sleazy burlesque clubs, and established music venues alike, Mr Khan and his merry band of freaks and wierdos, ply their trade about London, entertaining, shocking, and unsettling audiences in and around the old city.
And so, with access to an armoury of worn and well used instruments, a patchwork bunch of ragamuffin muscians, and a seemingly limitless supply of stale tobacco and cheap wine, he decides to pick up his quill and set about scribbling his first release, an EP entitled "How We Divide The Cake”.
Recorded largely from whatever was available at the time in a rough shod manner indicative of his crazed disposition, “How We Divide The Cake” is a short noveletto about love, madness, promiscuity, deviancy, and the social problems of latter day Victorian society. This release saw Mr Khan develop something of a cult following around London, as well as generate a few whispers throughout the country, with the word slowly spreading.
Now equipped with something he could sell to people, Charlie Khan and his band, the Bullfrog Chorus, continued to play voraciously about the city, and began taking their first small, tentative steps into the wider world beyond the M25, all the while taking notes on what he saw; whatever delighted and amused him, and whatever made him smirk in revulsion.
2009 will see Mr Khan return with his debut album, “Other Essays On The Human Condition”, a blend of sarcastic misanthropic mockery, weary railings against the relentless march of society, and matter of fact summaries of amusement and wonder at the world at large.
Recorded at Nova Head Studios towards the end of 2008, this record features musings on duality, big bad cities, and the nasty little people who inhabit them. Laden with sardonic humour, irascible condemnations, merciless ridicule, and declarations of lunacy, Khan’s first full length studio album firmly establishes his particular manner of fiendishly narcissistic, Machiavellian song writing.
“Other Essays On The Human Condition” continues what has now become a tradition of roping in other musicians to perform on and further embellish the songs, with appearances from label mates Martin Harley, Alex Roberts, and MHB drummer Pete Swatton. Combined with contributions from band members, Chris Goodchild, Gareth Davey, and Adam Davy, and produced by Adam Wolters, Khan sets the mood and scene for the individual songs, ranging from Choleric to Sanguine, and each a bed of erratic finery for his lyrical commentary of society.
Featuring songs such as “Beautiful When You’re Green”, a damning portrait of a man who preys upon broken hearted women and the naivety of the forlorn; “The World Turned Upside Down”, a radically re-worked traditional song, all nonsensical lyrics with a bulging varicose vein of freakish, lunatic pride; and “I Believe”, of child like reconciliation of the young and innocent with the big bad world outside.
So Ladies and Gentlemen, please lend this man your eyes and ears, your hearts and your purses and you will be entertained by his cruel and wicked ways, his charming turn of phrase, and his sarcastic tongue lashing away at a species who never could love one another.
"Other Essays On The Human Condition" will be released in April 2009 and will be available to purchase from all digital download services.
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