Mogwai – The Hawk Is Howling (Vinyl)
With each album, Mogwai discovers new ways of balancing the power and subtlety of their music. On 2008's The Hawk Is Howling, the band returned to its roots, working with producer Andy Miller for the first time in a decade and delivering its first set of completely instrumental songs in several albums' time.
This was the most massive Mogwai's music had felt in quite awhile -- and for a band that turns in expansive pieces as regularly as they do, that's saying something. "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead" opens the album with shades of Mr. Beast's sparkling beauty, but it uses every second of its nearly seven minutes to more climactic effect than the previous album's subdued approach: beginning with intertwining pianos and keyboards, it teeters on the edge between beautiful and ominous, ratcheting up the tension until the song finally dies out with a violin that bleeds into feedback.
That still doesn't quite prepare listeners for the wallop that "Batcat" packs. It's no secret that Mogwai loves metal and has never shied away from heaviness in their own music, but even their most churning workouts seemed to hover; "Batcat" hits the ground hard, and with a blunter impact, than any of their previous guitar workouts.
At first, it's tempting to want all of The Hawk Is Howling to be as obviously powerful as its biggest tracks, but with time it reveals itself as one of Mogwai's most masterful blends of delicacy and strength.
2 x Vinyl, LP, Reissue, Repress
Tracklist:
A1 I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead
A2 Batcat
A3 Danphe And The Brain
B1 Local Authority
B2 The Sun Smells Too Loud
B3 Kings Meadow
C1 I Love You, I'm Going To Blow Up Your School
C2 Scotland's Shame
D1 Thank You Space Expert
D2 The Precipice
With each album, Mogwai discovers new ways of balancing the power and subtlety of their music. On 2008's The Hawk Is Howling, the band returned to its roots, working with producer Andy Miller for the first time in a decade and delivering its first set of completely instrumental songs in several albums' time.
This was the most massive Mogwai's music had felt in quite awhile -- and for a band that turns in expansive pieces as regularly as they do, that's saying something. "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead" opens the album with shades of Mr. Beast's sparkling beauty, but it uses every second of its nearly seven minutes to more climactic effect than the previous album's subdued approach: beginning with intertwining pianos and keyboards, it teeters on the edge between beautiful and ominous, ratcheting up the tension until the song finally dies out with a violin that bleeds into feedback.
That still doesn't quite prepare listeners for the wallop that "Batcat" packs. It's no secret that Mogwai loves metal and has never shied away from heaviness in their own music, but even their most churning workouts seemed to hover; "Batcat" hits the ground hard, and with a blunter impact, than any of their previous guitar workouts.
At first, it's tempting to want all of The Hawk Is Howling to be as obviously powerful as its biggest tracks, but with time it reveals itself as one of Mogwai's most masterful blends of delicacy and strength.
2 x Vinyl, LP, Reissue, Repress
Tracklist:
A1 I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead
A2 Batcat
A3 Danphe And The Brain
B1 Local Authority
B2 The Sun Smells Too Loud
B3 Kings Meadow
C1 I Love You, I'm Going To Blow Up Your School
C2 Scotland's Shame
D1 Thank You Space Expert
D2 The Precipice
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