Nouvel Album de Mogwai disponible le 14 Février 2011.
Not everyone gets Mogwai,
but that's what makes them great. Theirs is majestic, powerful sound where
barely a word is spoken yet it is the antithesis of background music. Album and
song titles bemuse, confuse and delight in equal measure and live, they are
utterly unstoppable. For their seventh album Hardcore Will Never Die, But
You Will they have continued in this vein with a brave and instinctive
album that is charged with an energy, spirit and intensity few can match. It is
the sound of a band comfortable in their own skin, but clawing at the edges of
their own capabilities, and drawing out something particularly special in the
process. Hardcore... is a natural progression from 2008's mighty The
Hawk is Howling, but draws on a more varied sonic palette than its
predecessor. It also throws into sharp relief how Mogwai the live beast and
Mogwai the studio beast are two different, if complimentary animals. The monochrome
starkness of their 2010 live movie/album Burning/Special Moves acknowledged
the weight and scale of the band's breathtaking live shows. Hardcore…
reminds us of the many moments of subtlety to be savoured from their studio
work. Mogwai were birthed in the halcyon days of the mid-90s and helped Glasgow
become one of the real bright spots in the musical universe again. They turned
heads, hearts and stomachs with their live shows - stark aural assaults on the
senses which swung between barely there and a coruscating scree of white noise.
They've rolled out a quality half dozen albums and a clutch of EPs in the
preceding years to considerable acclaim. Some people even bought the records
too. Over time, some kindred spirits have gone missing in (rock) action, but
the original bond that held Mogwai together remains, despite geography, age and
responsibility. Certainly, there has been creative and fiscal peaks and
plateaus for them like any creative endeavour but their single mindedness has
posted them on an positive trajectory no fad, fashion or fool could derail.
They are as at home sharing a bill with electronic boffinry of Aphex Twin as
they are with doomy swoon of the The Cure or the apocalyptic rage of Neurosis.
That's probably because
they can do all three,
often in the same tune. So let's get one thing out of the way, the album title.
'It was overheard by James
Hamilton from Errors,' explain Stuart Braithwaite. 'A ned said it to a
shopkeeper who wouldn't sell him a carry out as he was under age. It follows on
from out other ned inspired titles - Ten Rapid, Mogwai Young Team and Come
On Die Young - which I like. I think
the juxtaposition of the less serious titles and the brutally serious music is
a good one. Loads of the people who hear the record will have a completely
different view of what it means. I like that too.' The band returned to
Hamilton's Chem 19 studios for the recording of Hardcore... with Paul
Savage producing. 'We hadn't recorded with Paul since Mogwai Young Team (in
1997). Not for any particular reason but I think in the years since, both us
and Paul have grown quite a bit and it seemed timely to work with him again.
We're massive fans of work he's done with The Twilight Sad
and Phantom Band.' The
album also features the band's old friend Luke Sutherland. Luke has contributed
to
numerous Mogwai recordings
in the past including 2003's Happy Songs For Happy People. 'It occurred
to us that all the records that Luke had played on were really good so it
seemed wise to get him back on board,' says Braithwaite. 'We sent him our home
demos and he wrote parts for a few. He came in and put all of his parts down in
a few days. He's a talented bastard! I'm confident he'll be making a few live
appearances too.'
'Making this album wasn't
any harder as such but it was certainly different than on previous albums,'
confesses Braitwaite. 'John and Barry weren't living in Scotland (having moved
to New York and Berlin respectively) while we were writing the album so we
shared demos rather than just getting in a room and playing together. I think
because of that it definitely has a different feel to our other records.' 'San
Pedro' is the furious sequel to 'Glasgow Mega-Snake' from 2006's Mr Beast,
a driving, duelling guitar battle where the band hurtle through to thundering
climax. Letters to the Metro is yet more quintessential Mogwai, sweetly
melodic and oddly sentimental, where plaintive piano pokes and brushed drums
set against loping, mournful guitar twangs. A thing of beauty. Elsewhere, the
twitchy, mechanised ghosts of Suicide and Neu! are evoked on songs like
'Mexican Grand Prix' and 'George Square Thatcher Death Party'. Mogwai have
always excelled at the hypnotic but show an even greater range of textures
here. 'How to Be a, Werewolf' is similarly textured, rolling, gliding and
building before exploding forth with streaks of molten stereoscopic guitar.
Closing track 'You're Lionel Ritchie' is a brooding monster that not only sends
off into the night sated but solidifies the eponymous veteran ceiling dwelling
soulster's place in popular cultural history – as a footnote to Mogwai's
continued forward progress.
'I saw Lionel Richie at
Heathrow but I was still drunk from DJing in Barcelona,' Braithwaite
admits. 'That is what I
said to his face. The rest of the band were incredibly amused.' There was a
time where Mogwai feared Satan. Now the two appear to be on most genial of
terms, they may have even nabbed some of his tunes – he has the best ones after
all. Now Mogwai fear nothing. And for that we should be thankful.
Mark
Robertson