MOGWAI - Classic or Dud?

My personal Mogwai gigography, thus far...

1998.09.16 - Northgate Arena, Chester (supporting Manic Street Preachers)
2001.11.03 - Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
2003.10.19 - Barrowlands, Glasgow
2005.08.18 - ABC, Glasgow
2005.11.29 - Arches, Glasgow
2006.04.27 - Usher Hall, Edinburgh
2006.09.23 - Barrowlands, Glasgow
2007.07.14 - Custard Factory, Birmingham (Supersonic Festival)
2008.04.26 - Tramway, Glasgow (Triptych Festival)
2008.10.21 - Corn Exchange, Edinburgh
2010.08.29 - Stereo, Glasgow

I have the Mogwai Season Ticket for the 5 Scottish shows at the end of this month as well.

Shamefully, having a) grown up in Scotland and b) been into Mogwai since around 1999/2000, the Perth show at the end of the month will be my first time ever seeing them live. At least it's in my hometown, right? The 16 year old me would have exploded. May have a ticket for the Feb Edinburgh show too, which would help work on the total.

I dig their name, I dig their song titles, I dig their album covers and titles. But there's nothing *very* captivating about the band where I feel I have to amass multiple albums. It's unfortuante that in the sort of post-rock realm that if something touches upon being visual, it's given the OK to be recorded. I try looking for a hook but then realize there isn't supposed to be one, and really that's sort of where the subgenre fails: I usually have a hard time differentiating album to album, song to song.

i think mogwai's albums have been kinda stale since c. 2003 or so, but i'll still see 'em live when i can

show i caught Mr. Beast-era was immense

I've repeatedly tried to like them, but never gotten anywhere. (I don't like most things, come to think of it.)

The new Remember Remember album (on Mogwai's Rock Action imprint) is very lovely.

Was listening to that this morning! Good stuff.

I remember seeing him years ago playing a bar on a Sunday night where nobody was interested. He started getting heckled so he'd record the heckles and loop them into the songs.

they're playing at a planetarium here on saturday. but i can't go because i have a co-worker's wedding reception. fml!

Following a Facebook post I made about "not getting Mogwai", I can conclude that there are two types of people in the world - people who lurve them and people who think they're really boring and artless.

3: People who think the have their moments, but are basically U2 minus Bono, plus loud/quiet.

Listened to a recent live set last night and found it pretty beautiful in places. Don't think I've listened to them in a while otherwise.

Postrock fans in general are fucking awful.

That is correct, esp. Scotch ones

3: People who think the have their moments, but are basically U2 minus Bono, plus loud/quiet.

You don't get it, do you? Mogwai are Bono. They are not Larry.

Line-up for the forthcoming remix album is great...

"Tim Hecker, The Soft Moon, RM Hubbert, Robert Hampson, Zombi, Justin Broadrick, Xander Harris, Umberto and Cylob"

Looks okay, but I don't buy scientology-related products as a rule of thumb.

3: People who think the have their moments, but are basically U2 minus Bono, plus loud/quiet.

― Chewshabadoo, Wednesday, 8 August 2012 10:59 (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

4: ppl who loved them back in the day and are happy for them to do their thing now but have little real use for them

had stopped paying attention to these for about a decade or so, but "music for a forgotten future", as featured in that michael mayer omegamix from earlier this year, really is incredible.

god i love 2 rights make 1 wrong

yaay another boring british band who rip off superior American acts and we're all supposed to lap it up and say how interesting...

possibly the ultimate "if this lot came from Chicago instead of Glasgow no-one would give a shit about them" band

Just IMO

That is correct, esp. Scotch ones

Shouldn't be so hard on Stuart Braithwaite...

He has mellowed or is he still a self-regarding gobshite?

Lest we forget the cringeworthy Kappa outfits.

tortoise are super boring and people care about them. they have some pretty clear influences,but they don't really rip anyone off too hard.they've gone downhill since the rock action ep imo,but they're p good all in all.not that great live imo,but precious few bands are.

Saw Braithwaite in the crowd at ATP last weekend. He's still short and bald.

Loving the new soundtrack but it probably helps that I already loved the show ("Les Revenants")

Yeah the new record is really lovely. They still keep coming with this wonderful music. I'm hoping the Tv programme will come to the BBC.

Nobody will notice because they aren't good anymore.

was wondering what this soundtrack was as i watched the tv show. i ignored these for a while after rock action as it didn't seem like something i ever wanted to listen to again, but some amazing music in the last few years.

only heard "music for a forgotten future" via michael mayer's kompakt megaset, also an amazing tune.

lol i just noticed i posted about that upthread. ah well. there it is again and i hadn't posted about the returned yet, now on channel 4, uk folks.

MFAFF is the best thing they've done by quite a long way. Second might be the Like Herod Peel session, or the remix of Earth's Teeth of Lions Rule The Divine

I keep coming back to this remix of "Tracy" from the first record:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJSN5V72w7s

I saw them last night at a nice open-air special event on the riverfront here in Glasgow performing the Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait soundtrack live along to the film as part of a small series of dates around the Manchester International Film Festival.

While the Zidane soundtrack isn't my favourite work of theirs, both musically and because of my utter lack of caring for football, I always enjoy a Mogwai show and this was something a little different. The outdoor setting at the end of a glorious sunny summer Sunday was excellent, they played well, and we got a nice three-song encore, which was the highlight of the night for me personally.

Being outdoors the light was pretty nice and I was enjoying using my lovely new (second-hand) 135mm f/2.0 lens, so I got a whole bunch of photos that I'm really pleased with...

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/9340040013_45338115f6_z.jpg
Mogwai performing live to Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait by Crimson Glow Photography, on Flickr

What was in the encore, Krakow, can you say? I'm off to The Barbican to see them on Friday and I'm looking forward to it.

We got Helicon 1, Werewolf & Glasgow Megasnake (though I'm a little unsure of what the second song was).

Previous two nights got Secret Pint & Helicon 1 and CODY & Ex-Cowboy, so I hear.

Nice. Crossing my fingers for a slice of Fear Satan. As always tbh.

god i love 2 rights make 1 wrong

― mookieproof, Saturday, December 15, 2012 12:49 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I don't know which thread to revive but the CODY remaster is out next week. An hour of bonus material here:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/jul/14/mogwai-come-on-die-young-bonus-material-exclusive-stream

CODY is seminal now? When did that happen?

I haven't gone near CODY since I listened to it once in 1999 and pronounced it a crushing disappointment to whoever was listening (probably my cat).

Maybe it's the other seminal they mean? xpost

Perhaps that explains the color of Dominic's face?

Cum on the young - they predicted that whole pedo scandal.

They're doing a Reddit AMA on 22 July, FYI.

that sounds dirty now

Didn't the band at some point dismiss CODY?

I didn't know they did, specifically, no? I believe they prefer their later more fine-tuned and subtle material over the rougher earlier albums in general, though.

Rock Action was their best record. It was the record most like an actual band trying to make a record people would love with songs, themes, lyrics, melodies and ideas. It's a record I can still enjoy to this day, and it's the only Mogwai record that contains none of the elements they're actually known for (guitar freakouts, the dubious masculinity of their late "metal" period, soundtracks, boring drumming). Dave Fridmann on the mix? Must be a good thing then.

Some great lyrics on Rock Action: What would you do / If you saw spaceships over Glasgow / Would you feel that / Every aircraft, every camera / Was a wish that / Wasn't granted. (Not sure if that's how it really goes.)

Actually a lot of it sounds like the music for Minecraft now. Enduring legacy!

I agree that Rock Action is the best Mogwai album - it's very controlled and methodical in a way they unfortunately never really tried out again.

EP+6, tho not technically an album, is preferable to any of their full lengths.