Album #8 from psych/pop specialists Kula Shaker. Wormslayer winds back the clock to the glory days of the mid-nineties
HITTING THEIR STRIDE
They’re a bit like busses, aren’t they? After hearing nothing from Kula Shaker for what seemed like a lifetime, along come three albums within the space of four years. Wormslayer, the band’s eighth and newest album, follows pretty sharply on the heels of Kula Shaker’s 2024 album, Natural Magick and it’s evident that they’re hitting their stride.
I have to admit to having lost track of Kula Shaker. Like many, I was seduced by the Indian imagery and Beatle references of their sensational 1996 debut, K but, as the initial incarnation of the band drifted into controversy, so I found myself drifting away. And that’s a shame because, whilst I was away, Kula Shaker certainly came up with some interesting music – perhaps most notably with their 2007 ‘comeback’ album, Strangefolk and 2022’s 1st Congregational Church of Love and Free Hugs.
CLASSIC PSYCH-POP (WITH A 21st CENTYRY FACELIFT…)
The title to Kula Shaker’s new album might sound like something that a Scandinavian metal band would come up with, but don’t be deceived. The psychedelic flavourings of Wormslayer refer right back to the glory days of K. And that’s not altogether surprising – Kula Shaker’s current lineup: Crispian Mills (vocals, guitars, tamboura and harmonica), Alonza Bevan (bass, guitars, piano, vocals), Paul Winterhart (drums) and Jay Darlington (keyboards) is but a mere nudge away from the lineup that made it all happen in the first place.
The psychedelic intent is evident from the very beginning. A burst of spacy noodling erupts into a riff that isn’t too different from Deep Purple’s Black Night, and we’re off. The sound is classic late 60s psych-pop that’s been given a 21st century facelift; it’s strident, it’s vibrant and it’s oh-so-joyful. And it’s a wonderful way to welcome Kula Shaker back into the fold.
THE PACE IS RELENTLESS
I haven’t heard phasing on many new songs for quite a while, but it’s here and fully functional on the intro to Good Money, a fast-paced funky stomp. Chrispian calls the shots with his Lennonesque voice, and the backing vocals indicate that the message is received and understood, when they respond: “We’re gonna make good money.” Things take a softer turn for Charge of the Light Brigade, but the pace is just as relentless – and so is the psychedelic mood. The reverb on Crispian’s voice for the bluesy Little Darling lends a 50s feel to the song. It’s packed with sparkle, though, and the band are tight and sharp-sounding.
An album highlight, Broke as Folk is a Doors-like affair with a simple, solid bassline and flourishes of organ from Jay that transport the listener right back to 1967. The lights come on for the chorus and Crispin assures us that: “The truth is not a joke” in a thoroughly absorbing song.
Kula Shaker have a talent for packing a lot of action into their songs. Be Merciful starts life as a drowsy, lysergic, folk song and builds into a multi-coloured collage of sound for its epic coda, and the excellent Shaunie switches effortlessly between gentle folk and a style of bombastic rock that would make even Pete Townshend sit up and take notice. Similarly, the slow, purposeful opening to The Winged Boy explodes into a whirl of guitars, loping bass and crashing drums, as Crispian implores hero Shaunie to grow wings and “…fly back to me.”
INDIA – AND THE BEATLES
The influence of The Beatles is never far away and, with the short, sweet, Day for Night, Crispian replays Her Majesty, the ‘hidden’ track that concludes the Abbey Road album, albeit with a song that recalls dreams of Dragon Slaying, rather than contemplating a love affair with our late monarch.
The Indian influences that were a particular feature of the K album are, perhaps, most apparent on Wormslayer’s epic title track and they’re interspersed with blasts of heavy metal and passages of pure psychedelia. It’s a lot take in, all in one go – and that’s a reliable sign that it’s a track that will reveal more with each play.
Wormslayer is brought to its close by the rousing Dust Beneath Our Feet. The influence of Tim Hardin is detectable in the song’s psych-folk structure. Jay’s keyboard holds things together as guitar, then harmonica, take centre-stage and Crispian reminds us that the Earth is, in fact, “…just a little dust beneath our feet.”
Wormslayer is an excellent album – an enjoyable wedge of the psychedelic pop that Kula Shaker do so well. It’s great to have them back.
Watch the official video to Good Money – a track from the album – below:
Kula Shaker: Official Website
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