Mantra of The Cosmos, the new group comprising some of the most influential British artists of the last 30 years, have collided once again to bring you their second musical offering in new single ‘X (Wot You Sayin?)‘, out now via BMG. The band road tested the track earlier this summer at their debut official performance headlining Glastonbury‘s Glade Stage.
Made up of Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays, Black Grape), Zak Starkey (The Who, Oasis), Andy Bell (Oasis, Ride), Bez (Happy Mondays, Black Grape) and latest members Brix Smith of The Fall and Sharna Starkey of SSHH, who joined the band for their Glastonbury show, Mantra Of The Cosmos is more supernova than supergroup, but it’s a musical marriage that works. Their first single, ‘Gorilla Guerilla,‘ was unveiled in June to much fanfare from fans and tastemakers across the world.
Inspired by Shaun’s schoolboy nickname “X”, ‘X (Wot You Sayin?)’ was co-written by Shaun and Andy with Zak bringing it all together on production. It builds steadily through spaced out sonics, a wonky drum beat and Shaun’s trademark enigmatic lyrics, bursting out into a chorus complete with triumphant horns and psychedelic guitar.
Mantra of The Cosmos is the brainchild of Zak Starkey; a rare case of a musical youth transcending his fabled father to carve out his own space. Not content to be the hotshot drummer providing the rhythmic pulse for Oasis and The Who, he’s also deeply immersed in reggae through his Trojan Jamaica label, which saw him and his wife Sharna “Sshh” Starkey (who also co-wrote and co-produced the new music alongside Zak) scoop a Grammy for their production work on Toots and The Maytals’ final album Got To Be Tough. This newly assembled group are here to shake up the foundations of modern pop music; a dubby, electronic, 21st century Hawkwind of a band destined to be experienced through epic live performances.
First on Zak’s hitlist was acerbic Salford poet laureate of the dispossessed and beloved ringleader of the most unlikely group of ruffians to ram raid the Top30, Happy Mondays’ frontman Shaun Ryder; joined of course by long term bandmate and vibemaster general Bez with his trademark maracas, rhythm and grooves. He then called on former Oasis bandmate and Ride frontman Andy Bell, who brings a heavy slice of hypnotic musicality on the guitar, joining Zak, Sshh and Shaun on the writing credits. Having caught the band’s first ever raucous performance at London’s The Box, The Fall bassist Brix Smith was hooked and couldn’t resist bringing her bass guitar to Worthy Farm alongside Sshh on backing vocals, vibes & harmonica. The result is this leering, lurching and surprisingly deft pop music with a swing of its own that is at once joyful, playful and triumphant, all with its own innate eccentric vision. It’s a weird yet wonderful alchemy that has maverick pedigree stamped all over it.
Cooked up in a remote studio littered with pop culture reference points pinned to the wall, Mantra of the Cosmos are the hum of the universe and the pulsating perfect musical pathway to the beyond…
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