‘Kula Shaker were much better than Oasis and Blur, but had their careers destroyed by the Satanic music press.’
Find More Music Articles as part of our DISTORTION brand
Why don’t some people like Kula Shaker?
Is it the lineage of Crispian Mills? He’s from the Mills acting family, mother Hayley Mills and grandfather Sir John Mills; acting royalty.
Is it because he’s called Crispian? UK audiences can be a bit inverted snobby when faced with a name like that – me included.
Is it because the music is flamboyant?
Is it because those sounds are BritPop and Psyche?
It may be because Mills has discussed Nazism in seemingly supportive tones; The Independent detailed the situation;
Can I say the critical musical opprobrium is poppycock? Can I separate the political views I despise from the music? I’m going to try, as this might have been the shock tactics and treatment of youth and after all, Bowie was forgiven after his apparent NAZI salute in 1976 outside Victoria train station and I will be adding caveats here.
So, the music
Since 1996, their infrequent albums have been interesting and much more. Surely it’s the music which matters and that has always been like a swaddle of beauty with an occasional punch to the ribs.
I love their work. And this album is no different.
Natural Magick
That’s the album title and that additional K isn’t extraneous. It brings to mind Aleister Crowley’s book and his comment that ‘do what thou wilt shall be whole of the law’; Mills has used that advice on this album.
Take the leadoff track ‘Gaslighting’; meaty riffing and an organ lead to Gil Scott Heron-type narration with some sassy cowbell action and more preacher shtick only to end with traded organ and guitar solos.
And then ‘Waves’ follows with simple poppy pomp, there’s also ‘Whistle And I Will Come’ bringing to mind the Jonathan Miller BBC play with Michael Hordern (don’t go for the John Hurt backstory version, it overeggs several puddings), but this is rather like the early work of The Feeling, pristine Pop Indie.
There’s More
Kula Shaker like a Faux Indian (in gentle musical terms) feel and that’s clear in the beautifully gentle ‘Chura Lira (You Stole My Heart)’, it lilts like very little else at the moment and of course has the feel of also wonderful Cornershop, with Mariachi horns – quite wonderful.
That vaguely Indian musical feel is here also with ‘Something Dangerous’, but with early Stones too. This works because Mills and KS want it to, the audacity seems to come as standard.
Vying with ‘Gaslighting’ for the best thing here is ‘F-Bomb‘, full of trute anti-war lines like the war machine being a very bad scene; that’s almost on a par with Culture Club’s ‘war, war is stupid, and people are stupid’ of ‘The Medal Song’.
That said, the funky woodblock and beat with ‘Nice and smooth’ comment is fantastic as is the guitar and organ augmentation and ‘F**k war’ shouted chorus; that big flanged guitar playout is worth the price of admission too.
It all finishes with the ever-growing 50’s torch song ‘Give Me Tomorrow’, organic sweet flavour and massive aspiration which sees us home.
Magick Isn’t Tragick
This is fantastic. But then Kula Shaker are. Feather boa-wearing, Psychedelic-loving, Roister-Doistering Rockers who frequently delight and never disappoint.
I can never agree with the espousing of far-right causes, that much I want to make clear, but this is a review of an album. A wonderful album. So, the music? Damn what others might say.
Leave a Reply