Britpops transcendental outsiders Kula Shaker are back with their latest offering, ‘Wormslayer’ and true to form, the record is a technicolour blend of psychedelic folk rock and mysticism. Whilst this is nothing new for Kula Shaker, the album certainly is no backwards-looking, retrospective revisit of the type of material that first brought the band success.
Opening track Lucky Number hazily drifts from psychedelia to unashamed glam rock, the tracks shapeshifting sets a good precedent for what’s to follow.
There’s a nod to the good old indie dance hedonism of the nineties on the track ‘Good Money’, definitely one of the record’s more shoulder-shuffling tracks. The Beatlesy filtered phased vocal thing that starts the track has been done to death over the years, but yet when done as well as this, it is just so good.
The opening of ‘Broke as Folk’ blends Floydesque cinematics with full-on late 60s California Psych rock, one of the record’s finest moments.
‘Be Merciful’ is a track that was born almost twenty years ago, the original acoustic demo becoming a much sought-after vinyl ‘bootleg’. The version here pays homage to the original demo but is augmented by twenty years of live interpretation, interpretation that Crispin feels adds to the energy and vibe of the track, making it sit perfectly with this record.
Title track ‘Wormslayer’, all seven minutes thirty seconds of it, pretty much captures what the band is about in one single track, blending eastern drones, hazy filtered vocals, heavy guitars and swirling organ pads set to shuffling percussion.
Overall, whilst this may not be an album to set the world alight, it’s a good record. I’d go so far as to say it’s probably one of Kula Shaker’s best and definitely worth a few listens to give the tracks time to develop.
Kula Shaker embark on a full UK-wide headline tour in February with some select European dates, and all shows will be illuminated by The Mad Alchemist Liquid Light Show. Full details can be found on the band’s website and socials.
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