Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A triumphant return for a band that was missed..., February 25, 2008
At first listen, I wasn't sure what to make of this record. It seemed to be going in various directions. And after the bombast and wall of noise in previous album tracks like Tattva, Hey Dude, Govinda, and Mystical Machine Gun, well, I was expecting more of the same.
After giving it a second and third listen, I "got it". I didn't need to hear more of the same - but what I heard I fell in love with.
Make no mistake - this is Mills and Bevan at their swirling, powerful, 60's/70's fueled musical soundscape creating best. But this is an older, wiser, smarter band - a band that spent 7 months on the road learning how to play together again - a band that learned what it means to kick back and jam (and like few can do, make it SOUND like you're sitting down, sipping a top-shelf drink, and _feeling_ the groove in a nice, comfortable dark bar).
Mills still can snarl and seduce - sometimes in back to back verses. But while he still throws a few political barbs in, he does it with a sense of humor and a laid-back attitude. He isn't taking it so seriously anymore - and to great effect. Some critics (like the perception-first rag NME) tossed this album off as an also-ran band, making fun of Great Dictator -- but they've missed the point. It's meant to be silly, it's meant to be tongue in cheek. And fun. It has a point, but we're not going to lose sleep over it.
The influences are all over the place. McCartney. Lennon. Dylan. Floyd. 90's Britrock. And, Old Kula Shaker. But they pull it off - they don't sound like they're copying anyone's sound. And the album gets stronger as it goes on.
The only real 'miss' is the title track; but it's more of an intermission than a song.
Highlights:
Out on the Highway - 2nd UK single - nice beat to get your feet tapping and head bobbing.
Second Sight - lead UK single - produced by Sam Williams (who has produced much by Supergrass), I sort of hear a bit of The Animalhouse here; great power track.
Song Of Love / Narayana - What can I say - this is Kula Shaker - the Indian instruments blend in nicely; the Indian chorus is quite trippy. Well put together. A major highlight.
Shadowlands - This one has a Lennon-esque feel. Nice, soft, melodic track.
Fool That I Am - oh, this one is neat. Nice classic rock poppy vibe, with a real neat hard organ that sounds like The Doors.
Also fantastic Hurricane Season (evokes a bit of Dylan and Folk), and 6ft Down Blues (great groove and superlative bass line).
Overall - *****. Highly recommended. A return to form. A tight band. The production is fantastic and well balanced, and the recording's clean.
Give it a listen or three - I guarantee you'll fall in love with it.
|
|
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent!, March 18, 2008
This album is fantastic. As somebody already mentioned it Strangefolk shows a mature band doing things right. I like that in this album the Hindu influence is small, and I'm glad about this cause that was something they already explode and was about time to listen something different.
What I really like about this album is the psychedelic approach that heavy 70`s influence in here, the organ, the guitars, the vocals in songs like Dr. Kitt where you can almost hear the doors.
Im being honest here I was not expecting this album to be this good but is like fresh air, its original on its own context without being a novelty.
Get it you wont be dissapointed.
|
|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
Getting to Know an Album, November 14, 2008
Over the years, I've come to learn that I'm never sure what I think of an album until I've heard it many times. It has never been more evident than it was with this one. After I listened to the first song or two on Strange Folk, for example, I was ready to declare this album a great success. Kula Shaker was back. However, by the time I completed the album, and for the next couple of times I played the album through, I felt disappointed instead.
Why the disappointment? For starters, the Indian influence is almost entirely gone. This, to me, was part of Kula Shaker's mystique. Hints of an Indian chant show up briefly in the chorus for "Song of Love/Narayana" before vanishing once again. Also, the mellow, trippier aspects seemed to be pushed to the side. I'm talking about things off previous albums like the intro to "Govinda", the song "Timeworm", or the laid back jam session in "Jerry Was There." In the cases of some of the melodies, I expected them to go one way, but then they took a turn in a different, seemingly detrimental direction.
But as is becoming more and more the case, as I grew more familiar with the album through multiple listens, my appreciation for it quickly developed. And now my opinion has entirely changed. This album is as much Kula Shaker as any one before it. The magic is still there. The keyboard/guitar effects still transport you to a new place. They can create as much energy within a song as ever. They can also slow it down and win you over with unique, catchy melodies, or get a little out there with unusual sounds accompanying their frequently amusing lyrics.
The vocals are as good as ever, if not better. Mills' voice seems to be featured more prominently and carries many of the songs, giving the album's songs a sense of immediacy. The lyrics are thoughtful, and any political commentary is given with a tongue-in-cheek tone that keeps up the attitude that ultimately, this record's about having fun. The music is right there to back him up. This is not an album by a band trying to recapture the glory days - this is a band that sounds like they're having the time of their lives. They're at their new, evolved best.
Hopefully any of you who choose to buy the album will be less critical than I was at first. It's absolutely not a let down.
And finally, I'm surprised that I'm in the minority as far as liking the spoken-word, musical interlude which makes up the title track. Not to say that this is the greatest song in the world, or even a song for that matter. But this simple, short track paints a picture in my mind that I think sums up the rest of the album: gather round to hear a story or two, give a little thought to the big things you can't control, and then party the night away. You never know which one will be your last.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
- the new music site from IMDb and Amazon.
