Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

When I first discovered this band back in late 2008 (yes I did spend the first 18 years of my life beneath a rock), the first thought that crossed my mind was whether Mogwai knew the derogative nature of their title. It's a pretty sweet original name for a band nonetheless, but being a British expatriot who grew up in Hong Kong, I've always been fully aware of the (desensitized) term Gweilo which some locals refer to Westerners by; roughly translating from Cantonese to mean "foreign devil" or "ghost man". HOWEVER, after doing a bit of homework it turns out that the term Mogwai comes from the fictional furry creature from the Gremlins films. So a slap on the wrists, and shame on me for making such ignorant assumptions.

Anyway, this Mogwai is far from being fictional or furry. The Glaswegian five-piece released their 7th studio album Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will in February earlier this year, which is filled with tunes of the same delicate chaos as ever before. This most recent album continues to commemorate Mogwai's dynamical beauty that contrasts loud, thrashing distortion and drums against softer, more pensive sections of ambience that are impeccably free to be explored through their long-length tracks. While there is a darkness to their sound, Mogwai continue to give a sense of predetermined improvisation to their melodies as if telling an instrumental story that, without fail, leads to an orgasmic musical climax of emotional power that feels joyous and elegiac at the same. 

Courtesy of TLOBF

 Something that I have always loved about Mogwai however, is the vastness of their creativity in the names of their tracks and albums. While the majority of their songs are instrumental, it feels only right to knight their songs with such imaginative titles in a subtle, dexterous push towards the preferred direction of emotional interpretation. Their sound - although this comparison is greatly despised by the band, has a positively post-rock feel through the sheer celebration of instrumental performance and consummation. This distinction is separated however, through Mogwai's subtle use of distant vocals that do not overpower the divine articulation of their music. 

If you can't already tell, I rate this album very highly. Some of these songs are heavier than their previous stuff, while some retain the same melancholic buoyancy from before. There's even a bit of an 80s synth sound to the track George Square Thatcher Death Party that feels completely new to Mogwai's sound, while Mexican Grand Prix feels completely new altogether. 

Well done, Mogwai. This is a brilliant album.