#435 Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

2011'in.

Mogwai is one of those bands, like Yo La Tengo, The Black Keys, Sonic Youth or REM*, that has consistently been putting out decent albums for years and years, all of which are perfectly creative and good, but none of which really stand outside eachother, so infused are they with the band's signature sound. Would any song by any of those bands sound really out of place on a different album than it was actually found on? Compare to, say, Radiohead, pre-Information-Guerro-ModernGuilt Beck, or The Kinks: longrunning acts who, if nothing else, certainly have created the quiet album, the weird album, the rock album, have gone through their phases.

But Mogwai is still Mogwai, still epic, still huge, still living for the big chord-on-chord-on-chord kickin. I like the particular sheen they've got on their guitars this time around though, with a big of a chiming Ratatat influence, a touch of Justice electronic buzz, textures straddling the twin excesses of post rock and shoegaze nicely, making something far more exciting and far less patience-testing than either, like a pop Explosions in the Sky.

The best moments collide shimmering and boreal on the Rano Pano / Death Rays suite, which is maybe the most gorgeous 11 minutes of music to come out all year, with the downright hooky San Pedro as a great palette cleanser afterwards. It overstays its welcome less than your average instrumental rock album, and is my go-to on the matter for the time being 4/5

You might like this if: you like big guitars, buzzy fuzz, riffs on riffs, off into the sky, and don't mind if the 6 minute mark only gets exceeded on two tracks albumwide

* huge fans of these bands would probably tell me I'm full of shit, and might not be wrong