With the band sixteen years and seven studio albums into their career, it’s fair to say that we know largely what a new Mogwai release will sound like - searing guitars, repeating rhythms and, on most songs, a complete lack of vocals are all par for the course. That’s not to say that the band have been making the same record for the best part of the last two decades; every successive album has seen the group tweak and adjust their formula, giving each one its own distinctive sound.
This latest effort sees them using more electronic instrumentation than most previous efforts, as well as utilising the keyboard more often than might be expected of a group like Mogwai. Case in point is “Mexican Grand Prix”, which is driven by a high-tempo krautrock-esque pulse, but unfortunately includes superfluous vocoder-treated vocals that fail to sit well with the track. The rest of the album fares better, with “How To Be A Werewolf” in particular soaring as beautifully as anything they’ve ever done. Other highlights include slow lament “Letters To The Metro” and “George Square Thatcher Death Party”, which recalls the lofty tones of Young Team’s “Mogwai Fear Satan”, and serves as a more appropriate home for those computerised vocals.
The rest is standard Mogwai fare; solid post-rock played by men with their guitar pedals set to ‘epic’. Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will probably won’t win the band many new fans, but it will almost certainly satisfy those that they already have.
Download: How To Be A Werewolf
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