Albums

Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling

Alex Skinner 15/09/2008

Rating: 4/5

Mogwai are not your archetypal band who follow convention, so why should this review?

Here is a review haiku:

Ambient sounds gush.
Compositions absorb,
Backgrounds soak,
Gratifying atmospheres reign.

Globe trotting Mogwai make their sixth album filled with an array of ambient, modern compositions that flood. It invites the listener along a quintessential atmospheric trip. This experimentally crafted music from the Glaswegians is staggering. Having no lyrics, the sounds are decorated like a collection of Bob Ross paintings. Over their eleven year reign, the quintet have shown us a range of stages in a lifetime via future sounds above and beyond.

Fans are used to a rich, almost classical waves washing into deep swells of ultimate chaos (not the 1990's boy band). The Mogwai troubadours recently released 'Batcat' which is heavy and brash. It gets straight into the hard stuff. This catches you with your pants down and upon entry, seems a little forced.

The thing is, it will actually take a long time to live with this album as Mogwai are so far ahead. The more established track for Mogwai fans 'I Love You, But I'm Going to Blow Up Your School' really proves itself. 'Thank Your Space Expert' seems to fall marginally short and a tinge watered down. Overall, there's not much wrong with this latest offering at all.

This album is melancholy enough to raise the atmospheric roof. They have created a brash cinematic sound, seasoned with electronic and classical flavours. Mogwai have released a supersonic mind funk of an album, they are certainly the cream of the UK post-art-rock crop.

'The Hawk Is Howling' is released 22nd September.
Three special UK shows lined up for October.