Hanni El Khatib “Moonlight” 2015. Innovative Leisure Records. Taking a photo of a glossy black album cover is a real pain in the ass. I had to wait for moonlight for minimal ambient reflection, so well-played Hanni.

This album was released a few weeks ago, though I did get to preview it on Spotify which convinced me to purchase it as a Valentine’s Day gift for Joe. Good choice! This is his third album release and it is a strong one. Weird, grungy, guitar-heavy. Comparisons that have been made to the White Stripes are not unfounded, nor is his collaboration with Dan Auerbach surprising. My top tracks are “Melt Me” and “The Teeth.”

We saw Hanni El Khatib perform at Turner Hall in Milwaukee this past year and it was a good performance. But I was disappointed in how few people attended the show, especially given the popularity of similar musicians in our area. Hopefully next time ‘round will be different.