Prince Rama

Get ready for this, kids! Brooklyn-based psychedelic rock trio Prince Rama formed in 2007 around the talents of Michael Collins and sisters Taraka and Nimai Larson. The trio members, who were raised in a Hare Krishna-centric Florida community, met in high school and began their musical journey as a straight-up punk-pop outfit, but a year in a Boston art school, as well as a steady diet of Amon Düül, Animal Collective, and Gang Gang Dance records, helped them make the transition from wannabe skatepunks to cosmic purveyors of tribal, mantra-heavy, lo-fi psychedelic pop. The group’s debut collection, Threshold Dances, appeared in 2008 on the British-based Cosmos label. Zetland arrived in 2009, followed in 2010 by Shadow Temple, which was co-produced by Animal Collective’s Deakin and Avey Tare. The Larson sisters, Taraka and Nimai, pared Prince Rama down to a duo for the group's fifth album, Trust Now. Behold, we are up to Top Ten Hits at the End of the World, from late 2012. It's a concept album: the apocalypse happened and it is up to Prince Rama to replicate the best music in the world and they treat each track as a different band, complete with make up and hair-dos. It's very fun with quite the snake-charmer influence. Their vocals are a little off-key and muffled which adds to the medium-fi charm. Take a listen and viewing to "Those Who Live for Love will Live Forever", track 2 here. Buy your copy of Top Ten Hits at the End of the World here.