Strangefolk (album)

Last updated

Strangefolk
Strangefolk.jpg
Studio album by
Kula Shaker
Released Flag of Japan.svg 27 June 2007 (2007-06-27)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 20 August 2007 (2007-08-20)
Flag of the United States.svg 19 February 2008 (2008-02-19)
Genre Psychedelic rock
Length52:12
Label StrangeF.O.L.K., CookingVinyl USA
Producer Tchad Blake, Chris Sheldon
Kula Shaker chronology
Tattva: The Very Best of Kula Shaker
(2007)		Strangefolk
(2007)		 Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts – 10th Anniversary Edition
(2010)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 54/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Drowned in Sound 4/10 [3]
God Is in the TV Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
NME 2/10 [5]
PopMatters 5/10 [6]
Slant Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Uncut Star full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]

Strangefolk is the third studio album by English psychedelic rock band Kula Shaker, the first album since the band reformed. The album has received mixed reviews since its release. [1] It entered the UK charts at number 69. [9]

Contents

Production

Strangefolk was produced in collaboration with an all-star team of hit makers and Grammy winners, including Tchad Blake (Peter Gabriel, Crowded House), Sam Williams (Supergrass) and Chris Sheldon (The Foo Fighters, Pixies).

Critical reception

Strangefolk was met with "mixed or average" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 54 based on 8 reviews. [1]

In a review for AllMusic, critic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote: "The British quartet is impervious to time just as they are immune to criticism; they are what they are and nothing will change them, as their 2007 album Strange Folk proves. Ten years on from their briefly successful Noel-rock era debut K, the band sounds exactly the same." [2] At Drowned in Sound, Rob Webb gave a four out of ten stars, explaining the album has "nothing as immediately arresting or as good" as the band's debut album. [3] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine said: "More than a decade removed from their commercial peak, however, Strange Folk should play well to the diehards who remain from their once-sizable fanbase. The Doors-style organ riffs and the trippy flourishes of sitars and finger-cymbals still typify the band's sound; with their fuzzy guitar riffs and a retro fetish that spans centuries rather than decades." [7]

Track listing

Strangefolk track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Out on the Highway"3:53
2."Second Sight"3:44
3."Die for Love"3:26
4."Great Dictator (Of the Free World)"3:14
5."Strangefolk"1:27
6."Song of Love / Narayana"5:30
7."Shadowlands"4:10
8."Fool That I Am"3:55
9."Hurricane Season"6:03
10."Ol' Jack Tar"3:37
11."6ft Down Blues"3:55
12."Dr. Kitt"4:38
13."Persephone"4:40

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Strangefolk
Chart (2007)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [10] 85
Scottish Albums (OCC) [11] 69
UK Albums (OCC) [9] 69

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Metacritic Review". Metacritic . Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 Webb, Rob (20 August 2007). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  4. ↑ Miller, Tim (2 August 2007). "God Is in the TV Review". God Is in the TV . Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  5. ↑ Cashmore, Pete (14 August 2007). "NME Review". NME . Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Lenser, Barry (28 February 2008). "PopMatters review". PopMatters . Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  7. 1 2 Keefe, Jonathan (17 February 2008). "Slant Magazine Review". Slant Magazine . Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Roberts, Chris (15 August 2007). "Uncut Review". Uncut . Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kula Shaker – Strangefolk" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 April 2021.


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