Customer Reviews

Peasants Pigs & Astronauts

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You've got to hand it to these guys!

Kula Shaker manage to fuse the great rock sound of the late 60s and the melodicism of Indian ragas with a modernism and aplomb that is unparalleled! I have listened to this CD a 100 times and I love it! These guys rock and at the same time have a melodic undercurrent running through all the tracks.

Great Hossanah is a great opener of a song with a truly superb guitar into! I loved "Mystical Machine Gun" for the smooth progression from a Indian Sarangi Intro to a great mid-tempo rocker! Radhe Radhe is a continuation of their interpretation of Indian Devotional songs in the rock context (done to great effect with "Govinda" from their last album)

But to me the standout track in this CD is the gorgeous "Shower your Love". Right from the first refrains of the Shenai instruments which is used for auspicous occasions in India, this beautiful song progresses to being a melodic tour de force. It's an instant classic in a time of digitally mixed electronica and the same sounding alternative songs that seem to dominate the airwaves these days.

The rest of the songs in the CD, though not as great as the above mentioned, still make for a very pleasurable and rocking listen!

Kula Shaker may no longer be the flavor of the month here or back in the UK, and they may not sell millions like those sugary boy bands, but to me they are one of the most innovative and creative music acts in a bland and oh so boring musical canvas of the late 90s.

A geat album. Way to go guys!!

Crispian Mills has excellent showbiz credentials, being the grandson of Sir John and the son of Hayley Mills. But unlike, say, Julian or Sean Lennon, he has the talent and wit to stand in his own right. The only legacy of his famous family seems to be his looks and the fact that he seems to be raving mad. Being a fruitloop is, of course, no barrier to making great rock 'n' roll though, and it's surprising Kula Shaker (now defunct) didn't make a better fist of it than they did, especially with a record as sophisticated as this.

Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts is a bit of everything - it updates sixties, eastern psychedelia and blends it with the seventies rock ethic and loopy fin-du-siecle spirituality into a trippy, upbeat, musical feast. In terms of direct relations, I think a blend of the Beatles, the Doors, David Bowie and Led Zeppelin in equal measure, with a dash of Floyd to give the album some length. Cheery choruses, sweeping hammonds, bunkum lyrics, grinding guitars and the odd all-out space-jam. Nice job.

I suppose ultimately it's too backward looking to really have made waves, even in England, but if a fancy a quick spell of time-warped escapism, you could do a lot worse than Peasant Pigs and Astronauts.

2 great albums 1 very good EP and what do they do? Implode like the Stone Roses and The Verve! It's a shame that we won't hear those soaring melodies, swirling organ jams and incessant rock 'n' roll rythms from Kula Shaker again!

Too bad 'coz Kula Shaker managed to fuse the classic rock sound of the late 60s and the ragas of Indian music with an aplomb that is unparalleled and without meandering into self indulgence.

Peasants... manages to sound melifluous and joyous without losing the edge mainly because the band never loses focus of their objective... to make a great rock album.

Great Hossanah is a great opener of a song with a truly superb guitar into! "Mystical Machine Gun" makes a smooth progression from a Indian Intro to a great mid-tempo rocker! "Radhe Radhe" is the only song in the album which gives you the "been there done that" feeling because it's so similar in structure and treatment to "Govinda".

But to me the standout track in this CD is the gorgeous "Shower your Love". Right from the first refrains of the Shenai, this beautiful song progresses to being a melodic tour de force. It's an instant classic in a time of digitally mixed electronica and the same sounding alternative songs that seem to dominate the airwaves these days.

The rest of the songs in the CD are not as strong as the above mentioned but "108 battles" and "sound of drums" make an impression. This is one strong and consistent album.

Kula Shaker may no longer be the flavor of the month here or back in the UK, and they may not sell millions like those sugary boy bands, but to me they are one of the most innovative and creative music acts in a bland and oh so boring musical canvas of the late 90s.

Like the highly acclaimed previous Shaker offering "K", this album is a mystical romp through psychedelia marked by an intoxicating afterglow for the listener. The production value on this record is superior to "K". A riff on one of the songs was given to Mills by George Harrison who was close chums with the Shakers as was David Gilmour of Pink Floyd (the album was recorded on his houseboat/studio). For those unfamiliar with the Shakers think Beatles meets Grateful Dead meets Pink Floyd meets Jimi Hendrix meets the Moody Blues meets Ravi Shankar forming an indescribable heady brew sure to leave you floating.

This record has been trashed in some quarters by people who hate the indian influence and the mystical assuredness of the Shaker sound. They find it pretentious. Too bad, different strokes for different blokes I say. Like one or more reviewers mentioned here there is a mistaken idea that Crispian Mills is some kind of pretentious jerk. This false meme was created by some U.K reviewers who write for big publications in the U.K and who simply hate the way the Shakers songs are so in your face "I have the answers to the mysteries of the ages". That's why they came down so heavily on Mills, not because of Mills personality it's because of his so called arrogant lyrics and musical style, he is in fact a charming very funny bloke. Also the haters came down heavily on Mills when in an interview he mentioned that the swastika is a mystical yantra from India signifying good fortune that was stolen from Hinduism by the nasties and that he wanted to reclaim it, he then joked about wanting to do a concert with swastikas on fire surrounding the stage. This blew the mind of some U.K scribblers who then labled Mills a nasty, go figure.

This to me is one of the most under-rated and most over-looked albums of the last decade. It is littered with Classic Rock references (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Yes, Moody Blues) without being entirely derivative or a museum piece.

Plus, these are great songs in their own right and are sshowcased by stunning arrangements and musicianship.

Most of all, these guys know how to rock. The brauvura guitar work on the first two tracks is worth the price of the album alone. If anyone's planning a New Milennium/End of the World car tape, I can recommend Great Hosanna as your opening track.

The Indian motifs and the elements of mysticism add something extra to what is already an unforgettable set.

Oh, and there is one pop gem among the hard rockers - Shower Your Love - Beatlesque in the finest sense.

If you're like me and think rock music has gone to the dogs, this album will re-inspire you. Guaranteed. It's a tragedy they broke up after this one.

Forget Oasis, Blur and the other Britrock pretenders of the 1990s. Kula Shaker are the kings.

I always have two CDs that stand out for each season. Its sort of a ying-yang thing. One CD represents the love, mystical experiences and accomplishments of that season and the other voices the rage, fears, and anxieties of the same period (yeah that's right I'm a moody *******). Well Kula Shaker's sophomore effort was the perfect CD to represent the lighter side of the summer of 1999 (in case you are wondering the superb band Pineal Ventata expressed that summer's darkness).

The only problem is that I'm writing this review without my copy of Peasants, Pigs, and Astronauts. Let me explain. I was visiting my family in San Diego and we decided to head up to Lake Tahoe. Driving through the Mojave Desert is always a hallucinatory experience (ranks up there with the Utah Canyonlands). The temperature was blazing hot and tempers were starting to break in the confines of our RV. To escape I plopped on this new disc by Kula Shaker (having missed out on their freshman effort K) and was instantly transported to a new plane of consciousness. As the first two songs "Great Hosannah" (a song that for some reason inspires religious feelings in this agnostic) and "Mystical Machine Gun" (truly one of the best songs of the last summer) fired into my brain I started writing this highly charged love letter to my friend back home. Kula Shaker's music is truly transcendental and has the power to move you to other planes of reality. Its great to hear a band that travels back in time borrowing earlier music styles and claiming influences from other lands without turning into a boring imitation, or, even worse, a colonialistic rip-off.

On my flight home it became obvious that my airline employs workers with discriminating taste, because, out of the piles of CDs in my bags, they only stole my new Kula Shaker and the Golden Palominos' Dead Time. I hope they enjoy them - anyone got extra copies of these? I heartily recommend Kula Shaker's newest CD to everyone (should definitely appeal to Radiohead fans). I even bought their worthy debut effort K.

There's something on my mind that this album has helped me find it.(in the tune of 108 battles). Its too bad for a great band who has captured the psychedelic 60's sound in contrast to the dark and boring music of the 90's to break up. Especially when releasing a follow-up to their brilliant 1st album K that's a complete gas. FAR OUT! To Crispian, Jay, Alonza, and Paul, thank you for making me feel at home to where I belong in 1967 Swinging London. This is a masterpiece that could stand alongside Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and The Beatles Sgt. Pepper Very inspiring indeed. Hari Om!

Setting Crispian's apparent madness aside, and the controversy which always seems to surround this now-defunct band, this album is the most stunning piece of the kula oeuvre. One might find their 60s/70s sound blended with a touch of India--which never fails to stun, and also, to enlighten. Peasants, Pigs, and Astronauts is a relief in a market flooded with meaningless, trite lyrics and little musical talent.

I just can't tell everyone how absolutely fabulous this album is. The sad thing is that I wouldn't have even known about it if I hadn't seen it on the shelf in the store.Kula gets absolutely no air time here. I haven't even found anyone who has heard of them. My very favorites on this are Great Hosannah, Mystical Machine Gun, Shower Your Love and 108 Battles. If this cd doesn't impress and inspire you I just wouldn't understand. You have to buy this cd (especially if you're an American.) I listen to this to try to mend my heart which broke when they broke up.

With expectations running high after 'K', 'Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts' gradually dropped-off the music radar, ultimately leading to the end of Kula Shaker. But in retrospect it's a strong album, vastly underrated, wonderfully rich in keeping with Kula Shaker's Eastern tinged psych-rock. The colourful riff-organ elements are all still there, perhaps a little less Britpop flash, and more lush, mystical and esoteric. One notable downside is when Kula Shaker tries too hard, the few tracks that are predictable, eg, chanting mantras and songs that seem derivative of others. The upside, however, are wonderfully produced gems (Mystical Machine Gun, Golden Avatar, Shower Your Love) a more polished and multi-layered sound, taking the spirit of their debut a step further. 'K' may have been a more tighter and cohesive album, but cliched songs aside, 'Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts' takes a slightly different route towards nirvana, sonic, breezy, with the occasional guitar-hook swagger. File this along with Second Coming and Kid A, albums initially blasted in the press, only for it's musical brilliance to be recognized over time. The Indian guru which guaranteed Kula Shaker success may have also included their second album, but at the time, perhaps everyone were visionless to see it.