By the mid-'90s, most bands had abandoned the sounds and sensibilities of late-'60s psychedelia, which is what makes Kula Shaker's debut album, K, such a weird, bracing listen. The band doesn't simply revive the swirling guitar and organ riffs of psychedelia, it embraces the mysticism and Eastern spirituality that informed the music. On both "Tattva" and "Govinda," lead singer Crispian Mills has adapted portions of Sanskrit text for the lyrics, chanting Indian mantras without a hint of embarrassment. Similarly, Kula Shaker are unashamed about their devotion to Hendrix, Traffic, and the Beatles, cutting their traditionalist tendencies with an onslaught of volume, overdriven guitars, and catchy melodies -- though they have a song called "Grateful When You're Dead," all of their psychedelic sensibilities derive from British ock, not the more experimental American counterpart. Kula Shaker may play well -- they have a powerful rush that makes you temporarily forget how classicist their music actually is -- but they still have trouble coming up with hooks. About half the record ("Hey Dude," "Tattva," "Govinda," "Grateful When You're Dead") has strong melodies, while the rest just rides by on the band's instrumental skills. Consequently, much of K doesn't stick around once the record is finished, but the singles remain excellent blasts of colorful /p>
eo-psychedelia.
Every time I do one of these 'audio nostalgia' entries, I cringe when I realize when the record or song that I am posting about was originally released. Today is no different. Kula Shaker's 'K' record is 12yrs old already, having been released in 1996. My access to and knowledge of really good music was quite limited when I was younger. I think Kula Shaker was the first band that I really g...
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Heres a new demo track for you moggers to have a listen to! i will do more when i know more about it and can put videos on etc.
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Every time I do one of these 'audio nostalgia' entries, I cringe when I realize when the record or song that I am posting about was originally released. Today is no different. Kula Shaker's 'K' record is 12yrs old already, having been released in 1996. My access to and knowledge of really good music was quite limited when I was younger. I think Kula Shaker was the first band that I really g...
More >
Heres a new demo track for you moggers to have a listen to! i will do more when i know more about it and can put videos on etc.
More >
remember kula shaker? alright, so i think they only had one popular song that was played on the radio in san diego and that's how i found out about them. but this isn't that radio song. just a song i've been feeling lately.
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