Mogwai -‘Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will’ (Rock Action)

Fifteen years into their career, every Mogwai album still feels like An Event. Their debut LP, Mogwai Young Team, set the bar so high fourteen (!) years ago, but it is to their credit that they have never copied a very successful formula on successive albums, with the inevitable diminishing of returns that aesthetically, if not commercially, that that would have lead to.

On this, their seventh album, Mogwai still feel, reassuringly, that they are the missing link between Slayer and Sigur Ros. In their own inimitable style, they continue to mine new territory that is unquestionably their own, and no-one else’s. There’s a noticeable krautrock influence that’s detectable on tracks ‘White Noise’ and ‘Rano Pano’ which I don’t recall hearing on a Mogwai album before.

Mogwai are -rightly- perceived as an instrumental act. However, they have used guest vocalists in the past – including then labelmate Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffat on Mogwai Young Team and Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys on Rock Action (on ‘Dial:Revenge.’ Singing in Welsh, natch.) On Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, on the rather excellent ‘Mexican Grand Prix’ come from courtesy of Luke Sutherland, cult scottish musician (Bows, Long Fin Kllie) and author (Jelly Roll, Sweetmeat), who also contributes guitar and violin to the abum. As ever, the titles convey a fair amount of humour (‘You’re Lionel Richie’) and Politics (‘George Square Thatcher Death Party.’) There are beautiful refelctive parts on the album, and of course, one absolutely, shredding, eardrum-bursting track, the closing and aforementioned ‘You’re Lionel Richie.’

The late, great John Peel -who also championed Mogwai -used to say that they were always different and always The Fall. that’s how I feel about Mogwai. On their seventh album they still sound like the band I love, and are still going to new places. A band that I would feel confident to buy an album that bore their name, without having heard a note of it.

Long may they run.

****1/2

Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will is released on Rock Action on February 14 in the UK and Sub Pop in the US on February 15.

Mogwai -‘San Pedro.’ mp3

Mogwai -‘Rano Pano.’ mp3

Until Tuesday you can also stream the album at Rolling Stone

OK, so end of year lists will soon be up, I’m having a whole heap of fun doing Christmas/Winter/snow related posts, but that doesn’t mean I’ve taken my eye off the ball regarding what is happening next year.

Mogwai will release their seventh studio album, entitled Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will in February 2011.

The tracklisting is as follows:

1. White Noise
2. Mexican Grand Prix
3. Rano Pano
4. Death Rays
5. San Pedro
6. Letters to the Metro
7. George Square Thatcher Death Party
8. How to Be a Werewolf
9. Too Raging to Cheers
10. You’re Lionel Richie

Additionally, according to their website, there will also be a Limited Edition version of the album, which includes a bonus CD featuring a 26 minute long piece called ‘The Singing Mountain’ recorded for Douglas Gordon and Olaf Nicolai’s ‘Monument for Forgotten Future’ installation in Essen, Germany.

The first track to be released as a promotional track is ‘Rano Pano’ which can be downloaded here, and it shows that Mogwai have certainly lost NONE of their fiery power…

Mogwai -‘Rano Pano.’ mp3

Mogwai -‘Special Moves’ (Rock Action)

Given that Mogwai have a (well-deserved) reputation for awesome live shows, it’s perhaps a little odd that this is their first, a mere fiteen years into their career. No matter. When it’s as good as Special Moves, it really is worth it.

It really is worth getting the vinyl box set (I’m going to starve for the next month and it will be worth it) – or the deluxe download package in order to hear the whole thing. Like the best live albums, it is not just a simple replaying of the albums, but shows just how great the band are live, and is a great album in its’ own right. ‘Like Herod’ still make you jump at THAT point (it is possibly the audio equivalent of that scene in Carrie.

All five of their studio albums from the last thirteen years or so are represented, rather than just being based on one or two albums. This album is yet more proof – if confirmation were needed by now – that Mogwai really are one of the best acts of the last twenty years. A new album is due next year – bring it on…

Special Moves is out now on Rock Action

Mogwai -‘2 Rights make 1 wrong.’ mp3

The news of any forthcoming release from Mogwai is always welcome. The past fifteen years have given us singles, EPs, albums, a remix album, a compilation of early singles, a compilation of BBC sessions, a soundtrack album, a fabulous re-issue…so a live album was (nicely) inevitable.

I’ve seen Mogwai live twice, on both occasions in Edinburgh and on both occasions at serious risk to my hearing. But hey. It still seems worth it, and there ain’t no better cure for hiccups than that moment in ‘Like Herod.’ I once stood next to Stuart Braithwaite at an early Franz Ferdinand gig (The Venue, Edinburgh, 2003) and was so in awe I couldn’t bring myself to speak to him. There is a forthcoming film entitled Burning and the live album is called Special Moves. The tracklisting and details of the film can be seen here at their website. As yet there is no release date for the album, other than it’s slated for the spring -oh, and the artwork is designed by one-time labelmate and collaborator, Aidan Moffat! The album is also to be available on triple vinyl. Yum!

They have made this track available as a free download.

Mogwai -‘2 Rights Make One Wrong.’ mp3

Meanwhile, there is supposed to be a new studio album in 2011…

Mogwai website/Mogwai myspace

PS: all being well, my interview with Withered Hand will be on this very website tomorrow…

OK< so I've posted some of these around Christmas before, but I think it's worth reiterating that not all Christmas related tracks are twee and chirpy. Mogwai's 'Xmas Steps' originally appeared as the lead track on their 1998 EP 'No Education=No future (F**k the curfew)'. An ever so slightly shorter version appeared on the following year's Come On Die Young . Finally ‘Christmas Song’ is from 1999’s ‘Mogwai’ EP.

Mogwai -‘Xmassteps.’ mp3

Mogwai -‘Christmas Steps.’ mp3

Mogwai -‘Christmas Song.’ mp3

Meanwhile, for more awesome Christmas stuff, check out Jim over at Aye Tunes, who has posted two excellent tracks I hadn’t heard of; Tart who has posted some stuff I also hadn’t heard at Love Shack, Baby, and finally, Steve over at Teenage Kicks who used to write a second, excellent Christmas-mp3 blog, has also combined the two just for the season of good will.

More goodies tomorrow…some from further afield than Scotland, too!

Meanwhile, I have also finally decided on the songs that make up my Festive Fifty (I know that will be a relief to many people who have been holding their breath) so tomorrow, all will be revealed!

It’s that time of year again. Amongst other things on this site will follow much by way of Christmas related stuff, including some anti-Christmas stuff.

Just in case anyone is worried, as God is my witness, I promise not to post any painfully awful and/or obvious stuff. So there will be no Mud, Slade, Shakin’ Stevens, Mariah Carey, Boney M etc.. If you want it, I’m sure you can find it elsewhere.

Mogwai have done two (or three, depending on yur point of view) songs with Christmas in the title. ‘Xmas Steps’, all eleven and a bit minutes of it, was released in 1998, as the lead track on the ‘No Education =No Future (Fuck The Curfew) EP.’ It made no.2 in John Peel’s Festive Fifty that year. It was released in slightly shorter form as ‘Christmas Steps’ on the following year’s Come On Die Young LP. Later on in 1999, the Mogwai EP contained the ‘Christmas Song.’

To what extent are these Christmassy? After all the original ‘Xmas Steps’ came out in July. But they feature the word ‘Christmas’ in them, so that’ll do for me.

Mogwai -‘Xmas Steps.’ mp3

Mogwai -‘Christmas Steps.’ mp3

Mogwai -‘Christmas Songs.’ mp3

(and yes, these were featured by both me last year and Teenage Kicks/I Wish It Could be Christmas Every Day. Three will be other stuff that wasn’t. Promise)

Mogwai – ‘The Hawk Is Howling.’ (Wall Of Sound/PIAS)

It’s been a pretty good year for Mogwai and their fans. Earlier this year, Chemikal Underground re-issued their seminal debut Young Team, their latest EP Batcat has debuted at no.1 in the indie charts, and now they release their sixth studio album.

More than a decade into their career, Mogwai are also still capable of surprising us. This is exactly what makes them such a rewarding listen, and why I still get excited about each new Mogwai release. For the last couple of months, the mp3 of ‘The Sun Is Too Loud’ has been doing the rounds. John Peel used to say about The Fall that they were ‘always the same; always different.’ And that sums up Mogwai particularly well too. ‘The Sun…’ features more of an electronic take on their sound than we’ve ever had from Mogwai, and it makes sense listening to it that on their forthcoming tour they will be supported by Fuck Buttons.

This release has been described as being more cinematic than previous releases, and I would agree with that. Whilst there’s no repetition of that moment on their debut’s ‘Like herod’ track when it explodes, making you jump like the final scene in Carrie, there’s still gorgeous echoes of ‘Mogwai fear Satan.’ ‘King’s Meadow’ particularly is a gorgeous slow number.

As a mostly instrumental act, Mogwai have forged their own distinctive sound. They’re labelled post-rock, but Mrs. 17 Seconds commented that they sound scottish; not because they use the bagpipes, but because of the way the guitars and drums sound. Mogwai are a mass of beuatiful contradictions that always seem to balance perfectly. A decade in, and each album still sets its’ own stall out differently. No collaborations with Aidan Moffat or Gruff Rhys here; these have been done before.

Is there a gameplan? Who knows, but on the strength of this latest release, Mogwai seem incapable of letting us down, but always surprising and delighting us. Long may they run.

****1/2

The Hawk Is Howling is released on Monday on Wall Of Sound/PIAS

Mogwai -‘The Sun Smells Too Loud.’ mp3

The video for current single ‘Batcat.’ If ‘Xmas Steps’ seemed to evoke David Lynch, this evokes The Wicker Man and It.