British hippies Kula Shaker, whose debut album of '60s-inspired, retro-melodies owned the U.K. charts for three straight weeks, is beginning to make waves on American soil as well. Besides the band's psychedelia-influenced sounds, the record, entitled "K," features some pretty fancy cover art and a rare CD single currently available only to the band's American audience.

On the cover, British comic strip master Dave Gibbons ventures into the musical arena with a detailed illustration reminiscent of Hindu religious posters. Gibbons, who is responsible for making comics such as "Watchmen" (with Alan Moore) and "Give Me Liberty" household names in the world of graphic novels, paints a picture that fits perfectly with "K"'s themes of ancient Sanskrit spiritualism and acid-tripping voyages. The cover features a neo-psychedelic who's who of historical figures whose names begin with the mystical letter K including John F. Kennedy, Kaiser Wilhelm, Boris Karloff, William Keats, Karl Marx and King Kong, as well as the number eleven (K is the eleventh letter in the alphabet). In the middle of these figures stands the Hindu god Krishna with his companion Radha Krishna, which has led to several Hare Krishnas following the band on their current U.S. tour.

According to Gibbons, Kula Shaker's lead singer Crispian Mills originally wanted something "apocalyptic" for the cover, drawn by someone who was stylistically similar to Gibbons. But Stylorouge, the design agency behind the artwork, got Gibbons himself to take a stab at Mills' ideas and the results are reminiscent of the first wave of Eastern influence on Western pop culture. "I tried to do something, in its coloring and feeling that had a second coming, radiant religious feeling," says Gibbons. "Like those big posters with rainbow colors and elephant-headed gods."In addition to the eye-catching cover, the American version of "K" also comes with an extremely rare CD-single featuring the "Lucky 13" mix of the current U.S. single "Tattva" and the non-album track "Dance In Your Shadow." The bonus CD on the American version of "K" is designed to give the record an extra boost that will hopefully counter the recent lackluster crossover success of other huge British acts.

"It's another piece to the puzzle," says Bridget Roy, director of marketing at Columbia Records. "It's a very rare and special thing and we thought the early fans would appreciate it if we created a little more excitement around the record." The extra CD-single sold-out in the U.K. long ago where the band is quickly developing a religious-like following. Columbia has no plans to reissue the single overseas.

While Americans may not genuflect over the band, Kula Shaker must be doing something right. "K" has steadily climbed the Gavin and CMJ college radio charts to No. 6 and No. 11, respectively. Commercial radio is also welcoming the band with open arms. "Tattva" has already received over 1,100 spins in the early going, most of which were based on the import version radio stations purchased themselves. Additionally, tickets were no where to be found for the band's first U.S. tour kick-off dates in Atlanta and New