Kula Shaker
The band are known for their interest in traditional Indian music, culture, and mysticism, with a number of their most famous songs, including "Tattva" and "Govinda", featuring lyrics written in Sanskrit. The name Kula Shaker was itself inspired by King Kulasekhara, an Indian emperor from the 8th century. In addition, many of the band's songs feature traditional Indian instruments, such as the sitar, tamboura, and tabla, juxtaposed with guitar-heavy, Western rock instrumentation. Despite achieving commercial success, Kula Shaker were unpopular with many critics, with "The Observer"'s Simon Price describing them in 2014 as a "joke band".
Headswim
Headswim re-emerged in 1997 with their second album "Despite Yourself" which contained many cathartic songs about death and spirituality. The group’s music had also shifted from their earlier grunge influences to a more reflective alternative rock sound more akin to artists such as Radiohead and Jeff Buckley. The lead single "Tourniquet" reached the Top 30 in the UK and was a minor radio hit in the U.S. Soon after, the band supported Kula Shaker on a U.S. tour. However, sales of the album did not live up to expectations and Sony made the decision to drop them. Subsequently the band released only one further single, "Dusty Road", in 2000 on the independent record label Pet Sounds in the UK, before splitting up in early 2001.