The latest Britpop sensation: jangly guitars, infectious three-minute pop songs, shaggy haircuts. All vaguely familar. Wait a moment...sitar solos and Sanskrit lyrics? Some mistake, surely?
No. The inevitable psychedelic end of the Britpop spectrum is here. Kula Shaker, named after an eighth century Indian emperor, are equal parts Stone Roses, 60s revivalists and spiritual enlightenment.
Half the potential audience is groaning softly by now, but we'll press on. A song about Jerry Garcia, another that's a Sanskrit mantra chanted over wah-wah guitars? Interviews featuring lead singer Crispian Mills wittering on about the spiritual revolution, etc?
There go most of the rest of you. Here's the surprise. Kula Shaker's debut album, K, is a cracker. Ignore (or embrace) the heavy spiritual stuff and the fact that the band spews more symbolic bollocks than The KLF could ever hope for - more 'K' references as well - and you've got a strong candidate for British album of the year.
K kicks off with "Hey Dude", an outright shoutalong rocker. Mills' voice slides from Ian Brown whispers to straight-out rock'n'roll swagger, and even manages to sound alarmingly like the twitchy bloke from Stereo MCs in places. Hammond Organ and swathes of guitars. Stop examining the cover (festooned with people whose names start with K, and a great big K), and turn it up.
"Tattva", the current single, is a repeated Sanskrit chant backed with the funkiest groove this side of "Fool's Gold", plentiful sitar 'licks', and assisted with Mellotron-washed verses that aren't a million miles shy of "Strawberry Fields Forever". A ten minute club version would probably ensure world domination.
"Govinda", "Sleeping Jeva" and "Temple of Everlasting Light" are even more Indian-influenced, and "Temple" extends the 60s influence with some rather Simon and Garfunkel-like acoustic guitar riffs.
"Smart Dogs" and "Into the Deep" are remeniscent in mood of that first, world-beating Stone Roses album, infectious layered grooves building slowly up to nice smart tight choruses, and "Grateful When You're Dead" owns the guitar riff of the year.
There's still more. 13 tracks on the album, none of which are filler, and my cd came with a bonus cd single containing two non-album tracks and an unremarkable remix of "Tattva".
K is an impressive debut, coming out of a British indie scene that's confounded expectations by maintaining an extraordinary level of quality for almost three years now. Kula Shaker might be just the band that nomadic Dead fans are looking for. If they keep the quality up, religions will likely form around this band.
