They kicked off their career with a #1 album and scored five top-10 singles in their first five years as a band, but while they’ve continued to fight the good fight, musically speaking, it’s been a long time since Kula Shaker has had all four of its founding members in their lineup.
In fact, let’s get specific: it’s been 25 years since keyboardist Jay Darlington has been in the mix.
At long last, however, Crispian Mills (lead singer/guitarist), Alonza Bevan (bass/vocals), Paul Winter-Hart (drums), and Darlington have joined forces once more for a new album, Natural Magick, the band’s seventh full-length studio effort overall.
Kula Shaker performing live on stage at the Engine Rooms, Southampton, on 04 February 2023
If you're wondering where Darlington has been for all these years, that's easy enough to answer: he spent a major chunk of his time as Oasis's touring keyboardist, after which he was part of the prog band Magic Bus. (The mere fact that one of their albums was entitled Transmission from Sogmore's Garden should be plenty enough information to confirm that it was a fine home for a once-and-future member of Kula Shaker.)
Not to in any way discount the albums that Kula Shaker released sans Darlington, but now that the original foursome are back together, it's clear that the magic - or Magick, in this case - created by the original lineup is back, and that the band is in fine form.
In the press release accompanying the announcement of the impending reunion album, Mills discussed the process of putting together the new LP.
“It was actually very similar to the way we recorded [debut album] K, back when we only had half an hour to blow people away," said Mills. "We wrote and tested all the songs on the road so they’re all quite tough and tight in arrangement. If you can take an audience on a fantastical ride in a few short minutes, there’s a thrill and excitement in that.”
The track listing of the album is as follows, after which follows a playlist which includes some of the highlights of Kula Shaker's career up to this point, including those aforementioned five top-10 UK singles: "Tattva" (#4), "Hey Dude" (#2), "Govinda" (#7), "Hush" (#2), and "Sound of Drums" (#3).
NATURAL MAGICK:
1. Gaslighting
2. Waves
3. Natural Magick
4. Indian Record Player
5. Chura Liya (You Stole My Heart)
6. Something Dangerous
7. Stay With Me Tonight
8. Happy Birthday
9. Idontwannapaymytaxes
10. F-Bombs
11. Whistle And I Will Come
12. Kalifornia Blues
13. Give Me Tomorrow
