Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

It only seems a heartbeat since the release of Mogwai’s impressive live album Special Moves last summer, yet the Scottish five-piece are back already, fittingly releasing their very romantically titled Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will on Valentine’s Day. Ever the charmers.

Nonetheless, they have earned themselves a loving and devoted following over the years for their refusal to play rock music by the rules. Not out of any punkish rebellion or Lady GaGa-esque publicity stunt; simply because their signature brand of music and production happens to transcend the boundaries of genre and customary song-writing.

Judged on the title alone, you couldn’t be criticised for perhaps expecting Mogwai to be harking back to their roots with Hardcore…, but in fact you couldn’t be much further from the truth. The new record continues the gradual progression the band has gone through over the years. Dreamy, hypnotic soundscapes that have prowled in the background of recent albums really come to the fore here, driven largely by the hands of ivory-tinkler Barry Burns. As is often the case though, the genius comes in the detail, here provided by the understated and restrained guitar parts laid down by Stuart Braithwaite and John Cummings: any number of Hardcore’s tracks openly invite a Slash wannabe to pull out all the stops and let the six-string wail sweetly, but Mogwai are smart enough to recognise that less maintains the interest, and really can be more. They were born at a time when men with long hair and leather jacket’s thought there was no better method to making a record than turning the Marshalls up to eleven and setting the fretboard on fire for minutes on end, and thankfully they’ve grown well beyond that.

When it comes to mesmerizing the listener with minimalistic marathons or 23rd century Baroque epics, Mogwai are seasoned veterans, but steadfastly spur themselves on out of stagnation with a new challenge every album, this time around venturing (to their fans) controversially into choppier waters – the vast ocean of pop, with concise, bouncy numbers like lead single ‘Mexican Grand Prix’ and the distinctly un-Mogwai three minute long ‘San Pedro’, that even feature (admittedly incomprehensible and barely human) vocals. Shock horror.

All this doesn’t mean they’re going soft though. They may be an instrumental band, but don’t let that make you think they can’t put a clear message across. ‘George Square Thatcher Death Party’, a building, head bobbing, grungey track that would be powerful enough without its title, certainly paints a pretty plain picture of the Glaswegians’ view of our governing party.

It might just be, though, that the most memorable moment on Hardcore is the point at which the band couldn’t have drifted further its namesake, in a sleepily sublime track called ‘Letters to the Metro’. Broken piano chords provide the backing for a series of lazy, repetitive guitar licks that form the backbone of the song. What makes it stand out even more, is the fact that this isn’t Mogwai doing what they do best especially well, it’s them making a bloody good job of something entirely different.

To my twisted sense of hearing, Hardcore as an album to Mogwai, plays a bit like ‘November Rain’ does as a single to Guns ‘N’ Roses: it’s too melodic and unenergetic to capture the heart and soul of the band, but it should still prove an unforgettable point in their career.

★★★

Like this? Try Pendulum, Hold Your Colour; The Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream; Espers, Espers II.

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