With the imminent release of The Bad Fire, Scottish post-rockers Mogwai are now eleven full-length records deep into a discography that has grown with steady diligence since the band’s formation in the mid-1990s. Their sound has evolved across that span, but there may be no bigger stylistic jump in their body of work than the ten tracks on their latest. A bold excursion cohering into a satisfying whole that feels borne from necessity, it’s out January 24 on 3LP+CD+photo book deluxe and 2LP editions, 2CD, cassette and digital via Rock Action Records in the UK and Temporary Residence Limited in the US.
When Mogwai first hit the scene, they fit into the burgeoning post-rock category pretty well. Clearly influenced by Slint while resisting a soundalike scenario, the band flourished in the slow lane in terms of tempo, often angular but over time just as likely to connect like a less dour Godspeed You! Black Emperor, or to glide and glisten in a manner similar to Explosions in the Sky and Sigur Rós. Interestingly, producer John Congleton, who’s worked with the latter two bands, lend his expertise to The Bad Fire’s three singles (“God Gets You Back,” “Lion Rumpus,” and “Fanzine Made of Flesh”).
Bands often stagnate by adhering too closely to their foundational sound. Happily, this is not the case with Mogwai. “God Gets You Back” opens The Bad Fire with what can fairly be described as a techno atmosphere, though by the end of its six and a half minutes the pace quickens and takes on a rock-ish thrust. It’s in the following track “Hi Chaos” where the ambiance turns recognizably Mogwai, but still moving fairly speedily with dynamic shifts that lay down a shoegaze-like distortion.
The fuzz resurfaces in “What Kind of Mix is This?” as the band leans into a sort of post-rock psychedelia while conjuring a fair among of thud, and then “Fanzine Made of Flesh” is an unabashed rocker with vocals that insinuate one of Georgio Moroder’s distant cousins was invited to the party. “Pale Vegan Hip Pain” moves at a more gradual clip, and like “Hi Chaos,” it’s nearer to the template Mogwai sound. This scenario carries over and blossoms during “If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others.”
Vocals return for “18 Volcanoes,” but this time more ethereal, as the track is a moody pulser with fuzz on the fringes, and then “Hammer Room” swing backs toward the upbeat, continuously building on its momentum until it just soars (and then, a brief wind down). “Lion Rumpus” is the shortest track on the record, but it’s also the most raucous (and impressively layered). It’s followed by the longest of the ten, the atmospheric but propulsive “Fork Boy,” for the finale.
A significant component in this album’s backstory relates to how it was created amid difficulties experienced by the band members. In part due to a predominantly instrumental nature, these dark circumstances (which include a sick child) aren’t overtly expressed, but there is a clear sense of commitment that’s felt as The Bad Fire plays. Eleven albums deep, and Mogwai are as far away from going through the motions as they’ve ever been.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
