Yes, there’s a new Mogwai album out today (“Every Country’s Sun”).
I’m not going to review it, because I’m too busy listening to it a lot, but I will say that, based on the couple of spins it’s had so far, I think this may be the best thing they’ve done since the very early days.
After the career low disappointment that was “The Rave Tapes”, ECS appears to have seen the band head back to basics: there’s more loud/quiet, more drums and a much greater sense of impact and propulsion.
There are also tracks called “Coolverine” and “Don’t Believe The Fife”, the latter of which would be worth the price of entry alone in my book.
Oh, and there’s this – “Battered At a Scramble”. My favourite thing they’ve done in a long, long time – FINALLY, a return to that whole “great lost Siamese Dream instrumental” sound they had on “Young Team”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8ucOEj0Kr8
Doin’ the bump
Yaaas! Mary Anne Hobbs played the whole thing on her 6 music show the other night, I’m off out to buy it at lunchtime.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0927dmq
Bing, I’ve played the first couple of minutes of the clip, and if that’s the sort of thing you like you must come round to my place, because I’ve got a shit guitar/amp setup that sounds identical, and I’m pretty sure I’ll have those chords down pat by the time you get here. I can do shouty and/or indistinct mumble vocals, too. Please let me know when I can pick you up at the bus station/eel market.
Well, since you ask (using a meme you borrowed from DFB), I’ll tell you. “Proper music” implies – for the sake of our discussion here – songs; melody and harmony whisked together by talent. Of course proper music can do without melody and harmony of there’s something to replace it, something born of creativity. And talent. And of course melody and harmony don’t in themselves guarantee proper music. There was a time when I’d try to convince myself that “this type of music” (as opposed to proper, for the sake of our argument) was worthwhile and enjoyable to some degree. I applaud a man of your age still clinging to slacker values, still down wiv ver yoof, still wearing that straight-billed B.Boy baseball cap sideways and doing note-perfect fistbumps with the local posse. If anyone can pull that off, you can.
Saucey, dear – if you want some attention from me, please feel free to drop me a DM, always happy to chat.
No need to interrupt a perfectly pleasant thread about Mogwai to try and snark your way into my line of sight.
You were the first to snark, Bing. You must forgive me if I think Mogwai are a bunch of dismal jerkoffs. I was using the term “proper music” because you set it up. I don’t really see music in those terms, but you posted the meme, so I tried for an appropriate semi-serious response. And there is an element of jealousy here, rather than snark. I can’t enjoy this stuff any more, you can. So you win. But requests for taking “this” to Doc Martens are a little extreme at this stage.
You know I love you, old bean.
We can (and no doubt will) talk about me/you/listening tastes/contemporary meme etiquette on another thread. Let’s try to let this one stay on topic for just a little longer.
BL
x
What a lumbering, gargantuan behemoth of a band they are! I listened to that at a fairly low volume on my laptop and it still sounded loud.
Mogwai unplugged is unimaginable.
Delightful thread title, Mister. My preferred flavour of un chat – pourquoi? is the plinkier sounds of the Les Revenants soundtrack. I take it this album is all that growly rumble with which they made their name….?
Nope, there’s still a fair bit of plink in there. Just a lot more rumble than there’s been in a while.
The whole thing is actually quite a nice synthesis of contemporary tasteful soundtrack Mogwai and original flavour, bigger than words and wider than pictures Mogwai. A very pleasant surprise.
Funnily enough I played Rave Tapes the day before yesterday and it sounded great. Yesterday I was out driving and heard two tracks on 6Music – one was very loud indeed and kind of put me off buying the album – I prefer the mellower Mogwai I am afraid.
I’m liking the new Mogwai but it’s being completely eclipsed by the new LCD Soundsystem album which is a 100% solid gold masterpiece.
I dug Rave Tapes. For me the career low was Hardcore Will Never Die.
The new record is great though. I think my favourite track at the moment is “Crossing The Road Material”
The LCD Soundsystem record is brilliant too. not sure which of the two is my favourite to be honest!
Properly loving both of those. Duly off to get me hands on em.
woooah, Hardcore… might be their best album as far as I’m concerned!
Great record, but not CODY, now is it?
any excuse….
Huge fan of the Gwai since day dot.
Young Team is probably my favourite album of all time, and I would put it and CODY above everything else they’ve ever done. CODY is deeper, and more refined, probably their single most accomplished record, but Young Team is where they won my heart, and I will always remember listening to it for the first time and having one of those great transcendent musical moments.
After those two, leaving aside the soundtracks, I’d probably go for Ten Rapid, My Father, My King and Hardcore, the latter of which was a real return to form at a time when it felt like their mojo might be ebbing. Special Moves also has a claim to being in this category.
After that comes everything else, with Rock Action probably the best of the bunch, and Rave Tapes by far my least favourite thing they’ve done. Horses for courses, but I thought it was aimless and the band sounded disinterested and noodly. OOAA, on this very thread.
On current trajectory, this new one will end up somewhere in tier 2. I would absolutely love for them to make something as good as CODY/Young Team again, but it’s such a high bar.
I’ve never really got into Mogwai. I like it when they’re all soft and nice but then they suddenly go all loud and rawk and that disturbs my sensibilities. Of that ilk, give me Public Service Broadcasting or Tycho anyday.
Pretty much agree with those ratings but have you heard the three bonus tracks from Rave Tapes? Could easily replace any track on the actual album. Here’s my fave –
I went to see Mogwai at the Roadhouse in Manchester when Brendan O’Hare was still with them (mostly playing percussion that night I recall). There were about 50 people there and It was fucking incredible. I never thought their subsequent records remotely captured their live sound – and I’ll be honest, I lost interest about 12 years ago but glad they’re still at it, and still hardcore!