Mogwai, As the Love Continues
Like most popular art forms, music is over-classified. When an artistic medium is overly distilled through endless descriptions, categories, names, and titles, the magic is also seemingly stripped from it. The ethereal music of Mogwai, the ever-evolving Scottish band, is an unfortunate victim of these attempts to classify rather than appreciate. Mogwai is known to many as a noise band, but I think this cheapens their musicality. I like to call them an ambient band (one of my favorites). The reason the word noise is anathema to me when describing their music is that it's far more difficult to make complex music that sounds and feels simple. But it's in thrift that pure artists thrive. Whether through a complicated musical structure that sounds so tight it's rendered seemingly simple, or through simple structures that sound so lush they appear complex; most dedicated artists find the skill and the beauty in simplicity. The end result is not always the goal: Capturing the journey is the thing.
With As the Love Continues, Mogwai illustrates the majesty of the journey through wavy, pulsing rhythms and often morose, yet beautiful melodies. Both are examples of some of the sonic signatures that keep their fans wanting more. These qualities are also a few of the reasons they make such gorgeous film soundtracks (for examples seek out Les Revenants and KIN). From the slow and steady atmospheric build of "To The Bin My Friend, Tonight We Vacate Earth" to the edgy rock-n-roll bounce of "Supposedly We Were Nightmares" amidst a backdrop of vocal samples and hovering guitars, this LP showcases Mogwai's breadth of sonic experiences and their continued willingness to start anew while faced with the inevitability of sounding familiar. The synth driven and fantastically poppy intro to "Here We, Here We, Here We Go Forever" is the perfect illustration of this sublime marriage of the fresh and the familiar that helps Mogwai stand out from the noise. One moment they have you caught in a splash of techno-pop, the next you're swimming in the vastness of dark and airy guitars amidst the atmospheres of their crescendoing ambient landscapes. They are masters of painting beauty in despair, and making the sonically morose glow like something you're longing for: A sunset that's so gorgeous you want to cry in order to express your happiness at the very sight of it. Their transitions are equally masterful, and "Dry Fantasy" acts (and sounds) like a crystalline looking glass into their command and eloquence of techniques. The intro could easily live on a Thompson Twins album, or the more contemporary Tomorrow's Modern Boxes by Thom Yorke. From there its an aerial turn into ascending, breezy synths. The mood is light, but the underlying tones are sunless and forlorn. We get a seemingly rare opportunity to hear Mogwai's own vocals on "Ritchie Sacramento" (though they've sung on plenty of previous releases—instrumental tracks far outnumber vocal-driven tunes). This moody song seems to capture the indie rock angst of our generation much like the Singles soundtrack did for Generation X.
"Fuck Off Money" combines the patented gorgeous ambient darkness that defines Mogwai with futuristic robotic vocals that are more reminiscent of early Air records; swirling upwards into a cascade of building, minimal drum beats, noisy guitars, and floaty synthesizers. This sound is lush and rugged, but also wide-open and beautiful. Gated, Radiohead-like drum machine pads in the intro of "Midnight Flit" smack alongside gliding synths and winding strings, building into a cosmic collision of noise and light and darkness, gradually descending into its fade-out via minimal keyboard steps. Like the pianist of a musical theater band closing out a heavy scene of an emotional climax as the keys gently tap while the cast slowly exits the stage. The grandness of the dark and dreamy synths weaving in and out of haunting guitars and steady, spacious drumming make for the perfect exit that one could only hope for on As The Love Continues. Mogwai devotees will undoubtedly find familiar musical landscapes here, but, like all great artists; they manage to make the seemingly old sound new and distinctive. To be making fantastic music like this at this stage in their long and distinguished career proves Mogwai's not only here to stay, but to keep bringin' it like only the real pros can. B-R-A-V-O.
