K

Entertainment Weekly (10/25/96, p.116) - "...Kula Shaker don't merely take you back 20 years on this confident debut, they rejuvenate that period by mixing sitar and Sanskrit chants with wa-wa guitar Hammond organ. The blissed-out effect is somewhere between post-India George Harrison and early Stone Roses." - Rating: B+ Q (10/96, p.165) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...they can go from delicacy to harder bluesy riffs and mix harmonies with funky rhythmic undertows to produce a gloriously full sound. They have discipline, a surefooted sense of pop melody, and they do it all with a sense of positivity..." Uncut (p.90) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Their 1996's debut, K, is still a good pop-rock LP....'Hey Dude' remains an enjoyable period rock song." Alternative Press (1/97, p.73) - 5 (out of 5) - "...Tight song structures embrace Kula Shaker's freakform excursions, and though they're into jam, they use butter, as well, which means that self-indulgence is kept to a minimum..." NME (Magazine) (12/21-28/96, pp.66-67) - Ranked #14 in NME's 1996 critic's poll. NME (Magazine) (9/14/96, p.50) - 9 (out of 10) - "...K is enormous; generating mighty, vertical grooves of pan-dimensional power pop which will surely have The Stone Roses gnawing at their innards....it's The Verve gone ethno-berserk, as huge as the horizon itself....astonishingly confident, musicianly gifted, gloriously hedonistic..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.95) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The John Leckie-produced ornate long-player remains a solid piece of retro-rock."

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 rock, 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 neo-psychedelia. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine