Hometown: London
Latest album: K
Reason you've noticed them: Their incense-and-bubblegum single ''Tattva,'' with its goofy Eastern spirituality and irresistible ''Strawberry Fields''-ish chorus. Also, frontman Crispian Mills is the son of squeaky-clean '60s teen movie star Hayley Mills.
How they would describe their sound if they were rock critics: ''A clippity-clop, moderately tempoed modern beat combo with slightly dubious overtones and footwear,'' says Mills.
How we would describe their sound: George Harrison-style everything-Zen psychedelia filtered through the late-'80s retro-pop of bands like the Stone Roses -- and, uh, footwear.
Target demographic: Oasis fans who've, like, totally gotten into that whole '60s thing, man.
Fashion sense: Do the orange love beads clash with my flaming red trousers?
Triumphant tale of how they beat the odds: After several years of anonymity on the club circuit, the band changed its name to Kula Shaker -- the name, they claim, of an ancient Indian king -- to bring them luck. It worked: Within a month, Mills and band mates Alonza Bevan, Jay Darlington, and Paul Winterhart signed a record deal, and a top 10 British single soon followed. ''It was kind of a destiny thing,'' says Mills.
Funky fact: The band is obsessed with the letter k. Their original name was the Kays, their album is titled K, and the cover art features k things -- a knight, a tea kettle, John F. Kennedy, and, of course, Krishna.
If this band were a breakfast cereal, it would be: Kocoa Krispies
Stock quote on the pitfalls of fame: ''The road to the top is long and hard and cold,'' says Mills. ''The more successful the band becomes, the busier you become, and the more fans you have, the more enemies you have. So to be a successful, popular music group you also have to be four unpopular, socially alienated individuals.''
Lead singer's instant charisma rating (out of a possible five): Four
Albums that never leave the tape player on their tour bus: The Beatles' White Album, Love's Forever Changes, and ''a recording of a group of monks chanting in the cave where St. John the Divine had the vision of revelations.''
What's next: A new single, ''Hey, Dude,'' with a video that ''has something to do with the Who's 'Magic Bus'''; a U.S. tour this spring.
