Mogwai
Mr. Beast (Matador)
Mogwai wanted to be the world’s loudest band in the late Nineties, but after folks left shows and clubs disinvited them, the mostly-instrumental Glaswegian quintet tempered their steel-forging, Marshall stack orchestra with a more nuanced approach in 2001’s Rock Action and ’03’s Happy Songs for Happy People. On their fifth LP, recorded in their Castle of Doom Studio, the melancholic melodians strive to capture their live intensity, which they do well with “Glasgow Mega-Snake,” while also displaying dynamic skills, like the piano-driven “Friend of the Night” and the vox-and-lap-steel-infused “Acid Food.” Having Tetsuya Fukagawa, the primal screamer of Japanese hardcore band Envy, softly speak the lyrics of “I Chose Horses” also works. And like peers Tortoise, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Dirty Three, Mogwai have the climax/resolution thing down pat, building up and tearing down tension like a team of bridge builders with a dynamite fetish. Old-school fans may pine for songs of double-digit duration, but not for the trademark kidney-punching drums, bittersweet guitar layers, and throbbing bass. Something gets lost in the high amplitude translation – timbre – so while Mr. Beast may not sound as fine Happy Songs… or Rock Action, it no doubt kicks ass live. (Wednesday, March 15, 1am @ Stubb’s)
This article appears in March 10 • 2006.