KHARMA 45’S debut single begins with the title 'coming to life' in the form of whispered and falsetto taunts over a disco beat (‘Man Where’s Your Spirit?’).
It’s a cheek of a question to come out of what amounts to a sorry sounding, mainstream-strobe-lit, ‘Hit Man And Her’ style cross between poodle perm rock and diabolical boom-boom Eurocheese.
Butchered during production, or invented from scraps of random outtakes, the record is embarrassing to hear.
Heavy vocal repetition and a half-assed sense rock ‘n’ roll rebelliousness sit uncomfortably with an Ibiza pulse that twists those over-processed guitar sounds until it sounds like the work of vandals. Probably due to marketing execs wanting to ‘funk up’ the rock sound to give it a wider appeal. Whatever’s happened it’s a nightmare
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This is straight-head music with nothing real or raw about it – overdub after overdub samples everything but they forgot to preserve the soul. It leaves an empty feel to the track, which might whip up a storm at full volume, but still sounds like the band were nowhere near the studio when this one was recorded and remastered.
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