MOGWAI
Prog? Post-rock? Noise? The follow-up to the most unlikely No.1 album of the decade proves the Scottish genre-blurrers have found an entirely new way to push things forwards.
Words: Chris Roberts Edited by Dave Everley prog.reviews@futurenet.com
Illustration:
Mark Leary
A sensitive behemoth, hulking yet graceful, Mogwai’s 11th album arrives with the Glaswegian band bearing a higher profile than at any time during their three decades of delicacy and disruption. Its predecessor, 2021’s As The Love Continues, became a UK No.1 hit, which they found “totally surreal”.
A documentary, If The Stars Had A Sound, was recently released, which wisely chose not to analyse what it is about the band’s noise which moves so many so deeply. Mogwai aren’t the types to pontificate earnestly about creating effervescent rainbows of liminal meaning or somesuch. The key to their alchemy is to not overthink what they do. Any lyrics are halfheartedly, almost sheepishly, mumbled, all but inaudibly, and the musical structures ebb and flow as they see fit, rather than following conventions. Mogwai’s progressive instincts have always taken an intuitive path.