Time And Space

With their dub-coated combination of metal and funk, Kora brought their unique sound across the Tasman almost five years ago with the support of some major bands, but behind the scenes bass player Dan McGruer claims they didn't know a thing.

The band, which consists of the five Kora brothers and McGruer, have earned a strong following for their mellow sound, but broke onto the local scene after touring with Shihad and Cog, who then invited them to tour Australia. Their debut self-titled album showcased a variety of sounds from soul to hard rock, but McGruer says in the four years they have spent making Light Years at his home studio, they have learnt a lot.

“We were always known as a live band, that's how we carved a name for ourselves,” McGruer says. “We were very lucky because a lot of big-name bands liked our sound and so we got to play to some big crowds and generated a following from festivals and live shows. But when we started out eight years ago, we didn't know shit. Our last album was all over the place. We've never had a genre, but even we were asking ourselves, 'What the hell are we, what the hell kind of music do we play?' We never had a proper answer.”

The main focus for Kora on this record was to define their sound. In the past they have been described as everything from prog-rock to reggae, but if Light Years is anything to go by, it seems the band may have settled in the sphere of R&B. In marketing, the band playfully refer to their new sound as 'alien funk'. “We just went with the flow – there were no set rules about what we were going to do, we just wanted to create our own sound,” McGruer explains. “Light Years is a much more complete, polished record and it feels much more whole.

“Over four years we've been working on writing; recording in my little house and producing ourselves,” he continues. “This sound is even fresh to us. It is eclectic but it feels much more together. We really wanted something which was one sound.”

It was a somewhat unusual theme which eventually united the group and led to the title of the album, based on their love of video games and sci-fi.

“It's all about space, the galaxy,” McGruer says. “We're all geeks, we're into sci-fi movies so that's what ties us all together. We didn't sit down and plan it, but when we started playing there was this moment of, 'Hang on, there is a space theme here'. For me personally, I love spacey sounds. My favourite is that dub, trippy, twinkly, starry stuff – that otherworldly sound.”

From the opening track on Light Years, Kora have well and truly captured the 'twinkly, starry stuff'. The theme is obvious and blends effortlessly with their combination of funk and dub, but those who discovered Kora off the back of heavier prog-rock gigs won't see a lot of that influence on this record.

The album is more quirky and interestingly, McGruer said using guitar just wasn't enough. “We tried a lot of guitar, but to me it wasn't heavy enough,” he says. “That's probably why I'm a bass player, because I've always thought it was heavier than a guitar. I really liked that sound for this album. The guitar just wasn't cutting it, so we've used a lot of synthesisers. I'm not really into heavy music anymore. I prefer classic dub. We've got to be true to ourselves, and true fans will like whatever we do.”

Those who appreciated Kora's political side may also be disappointed that the album is well and truly full almost entirely of love songs. It is an interesting decision by the band to change direction. Many acts will cling desperately to the formula of their debut album to try to recreate even the smallest amount of success, but Kora have to be respected for expanding their sound regardless of audience expectations. The synthesisers and samples feature heavily, but one aspect that is not lost is the luscious voices of the Kora brothers – Laughton, Francis, Stuart and Brad – and their ethereal harmonies. They have played the new material at some local gigs in their homeland and are receiving positive responses. “A few of the songs have been played live,” McGruer reveals. “We've opened with a few new songs and it feels really good; I can't describe it, but it feels like I hoped it would.”

For McGruer, the other major factor in producing a new album was working towards achieving a more mainstream audience. The bassist was actually studying commercial music when he met singer and lead guitarist Laughton Kora. The popular side of music is a topic usually avoided by many bands, but McGruer was refreshingly honest about his hopes for Kora. “We do appreciate more commercial music. We've always been a live band but there is definitely that push to make our music easier to listen to and instantly attractive to an audience.”

McGruer explains the 1980's music scene was a huge influence for Kora. “We appreciate and admire that big '80's ballad, but we have put a twist on it with a classic chord change and taking influences from other places, putting all the best parts together. We were conscious of it and always thinking, 'What would be the best chorus here?', 'What is a really catchy hook?' and running with that. It's something we worked really hard at.”

While Kora may not have plans for world domination any time soon, McGruer expresses the hopes of many a musician in simply wanting his music to have a voice and not taking the popular line of only making it for himself. There is a definite sense that Kora have the determination and drive to succeed and will not be satisfied with underground success. “I think any band, especially one that is still coming up, always wants to be bigger,” he says. “Ultimately as a musician you want as many people as possible to listen to your music. But of course it's still important to have our personality in it. It's got to be real. You never know what might happen. Hopefully it opens us up to a new audience. Watch this space.”

Kora will be playing the following shows:

Thursday 22 November - The Arena, Brisbane QLD
Friday 23 November - Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
Friday 24 November - The Hi-Fi, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 1 December - Natural New Zealand Music Festival, Red Hill Auditorium WA