Dead Magick

This unique group invites guests like Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe onboard for stints of recording studio magick. Key member Jón Audarson (a.k.a. Nonni Dead) is a visual artist who also runs a clothing label and record company called Dead in Reykjavik, Iceland (Quentin Tarantino featured some Dead clothing in his <i>Grindhouse</i> film, <i>Death Proof</i>). But the music! Should you find more beautiful, entrancing, unsettling, zen-inducing, rocking music than <i>Dead Magick</i> in the near future, we’d be surprised. Longtime fans swear that repeated listens to “Dead Mantra” are practically a daily necessity (the mantra translates to “He who fears death cannot enjoy life”). It's a powerful piece of work, somewhat in line with Wooden Shjips' sound but more visceral. There's plenty of Can and ‘60s psychedelia woven into Dead Skeletons' drum-heavy, drone-prone music, with hints of ‘80s goth (“Live!”) and rays of light and beauty (“When the Sun Comes Up”) balancing the darker powers (“Yama”). Sublime.