MOGWAI – The Hawk Is Howling (Wall Of Sound)
And just to prove that I don’t really have anything against Scotland after the Glasvegas review, here are one of my favourite ever bands back with another cracking release. For this one the band have stuck to the all-instrumental style of their most successful albums, and while in places the guitars have been toned down to make the music more atmospheric, they can still kick up a storm when they want to. ‘I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead’s beautiful melding of solo piano with full band onslaught is a case in point, and gently lulls you in before bludgeoning you round the head. Latest single ‘Batcat’ has guitars to the fore right from the off, and is a great taster for the album, harking back, as it does, to the sonic delights of their early EPs. ‘Danphe And The Brain’ is classic Mogwai, slowly building from a whisper to a scream, while ‘Local Authority’ brings the pace down for a quick breather before ‘The Sun Smells Too Loud’s dance-friendly rhythms show another side to the band. ‘I Love You, I’m Going To Blow Up Your School’ shows that the band still have their quirky sense of humour, and the track itself slowly builds before exploding in maelstrom of guitars for the final minute. ‘Scotland’s Shame’ does it in reverse, being in your face from the outset, and then gradually winding down with some superb echo-laden drumming at the end. ‘Thank You Space expert’ is one of their dreamy soundscapes, lulling you gently into epic closing number ‘The Precipice’ – one of their classic slow-burning guitar-fests which just builds and builds until it can do nothing else but explode in swathes of heavy rock guitar. With this album Mogwai effortlessly uphold their reputation as the best exponents of post-rock in the world, and fans of the band will in no way be disappointed by this release. Even the cover art is stunning, all helping to make this one of the best albums of the band’s career. If Mogwai are currently a closed book to you then get this album and hear what you have been missing out on.