Sometimes Anton Newcombe summons up nothing less than rock’n'roll magic.    In between writing future classics with his band Brian Jonestown Massacre, he has joined Dead Skeletons:  a collective trio including himself, Henrik Baldvin Bjornsson (Singapore Sling) and Icelandic artist, Nonni.   For Anton,  Dead Skeletons isn’t apart from the Brian Jonestown Massacre world, it is part of it and a pure exercise in musical spirituality.

So far, their song ‘Dead Mantra’ has been released only on youtube and myspace.  The video is absolutely addictive with flash cuts of a spinning skull on a vintage record player, dancing Tibetans and the Dalai Lama.   Dead Mantra is built around the chant:  ”He who fears death cannot enjoy life”. The chant comes from the Buddhist belief of ‘maransati’ or ‘death awareness’, bringing you to recognise, that, in Anton’s words –  ’death is the only dance there is’.  By combining the vivid imagery with the hypnotic mantra, and insistent,  ritualistic beats – Dead Skeletons have made it impossible to resist their call.   The chant urges you to accept life and death, and do so with out fear and transcend into a state of musical nirvana.   Musically, it presents itself as an almost demonic hallucination of rolling death drones, freedom-in-repetition electronic blurs and a Morricone-like noise to keep you aware and remind you that yes, this is really happening.  It’s utterly fantastic.  ’Dead Mantra’ is an exercise in what you can achieve in eight minutes of music.  They make the time stretch, swirl and elongate around you.    It’s time to get down on your knees and pray.  It’s track of the year for me.   Fact.  Get it on itunes from the 2nd of November, and 12″ later on this year.