The Hawk Is Howling

I can't tell you how happy I was when I heard this album for the first time. It seems like Mogwai are finally getting back to their foundation, which is instrumentals with hooks. No more songs with vocals. No more mindless audio tracks being mixed in with slow dense music. No more hook-less rambling songs. I could not believe that someone labeled this album "tedious," quite the opposite, this is Happy Songs for Happy People revisited. "The Sun Smells Too Loud" will quickly become one of their most popular anthems. Plenty of upbeat and interesting songs. Great album!

The latest release and latest in bizarre titles for the Scottish band Mogwai "The Hawk is Howling" follows the same formula as "Mr. Beast" their 2005 release. A slow piano opener "I'm Jim Morrison I'm dead" similar to "Auto Rock" from "Mr. Beast". However the new track expands on the theme and improves it. This progression goes throughout the album including the heavy rock song "Batcat" whose partner on Mr. Beast is "Glasgow Mega-Snake." "Batcat" is a heavy hitting rock song that finds Mogwai finally doing what they threatened to do on "Rock Action". They actually rock. It seems odd for a band as talented and amazing to follow a similar formula for success. Even odder, the album stretches Mogwai's reach with a happy song entitled "The Sun Smells to Loud." On "Scotland's Shame," Mogwai laments beautifully for most likely a football match loss, given their predilections. The album reaches a spectacular conclusion with "The Precipice" that is close enough in mood and power to be cousins with "We're No Here." Despite the similarities in the construction of the last two albums Mogwai has changed, even from the last album. Gone are the noisy interruptions, the snippets of conversations, and tinny recordings. Now they have fully layered crystal clear recordings that demonstrate their full power. The only lament for anyone who has been privy enough to see the band live is the absolute sonic experience it is. It is an unreasonable expectation to expect Mogwai's studio recordings to be anything like their live performances, it just means you have to spend some money on better speakers.

Mogwai is the forefront of their particular brand of post-rock, sonic manipulatory, mood altering, mindscaping compositional cathedrals. Although comparisons with Sigur Ros will continue, Mogwai really has taken a grittier road than the more delicate post rock Icelandic heroes. Mogwai has never been scared to dwell on a reverberating power chord, and they definitely try to squeeze all the emotional resonance out of some pretty downtempo guitars as possible here. Does this take away from the power or intimacy of the music? By no means. If you enjoyed Happy Songs for Happy People, this probably going to satisfy you, although things are not quite as melodic as on that album. The fuzz guitar has been turned up significantly, and there is an increased use of chromaticism here that would have been out of place there. There is much less emphasis on melody, and more emphasis on power, raw waves of feedback being more common here.

Not that there aren't moments of piano driven beauty. The beginning of Daphne and the Brain is just lovely, with a swelling guitar behind the piano as a fantastic counterpoint. But for every Daphne and the Brain, there is a Batcat--a track that is loud, angry, and very upset about something. And ultimately, Daphne also swells and demands to be noticed. The soft crescendo of the songs can become a little predictable after a while, but is still worthwhile.

I am not sure if this will hold up as well over time as Happy Songs has for me, but I am certainly going to continue listening to it. I have awarded it 4 stars because it is beautiful, powerful, well constructed, but not precisely revelatory, and not really a grand step forward. Even so, it will be a welcome edition to the Mogwai catalog for years to come.

I got into Mogwai a few months ago with Happy Songs for Happy People. I was blown away and pre-ordered this album along with a few of their earlier albums.
Now, while this doesn't top Happy Songs for me, it's still a very solid album with many great moments and great contrast. Highlights include 'The Sun Smells Too Loud,' 'Batcat,' and 'The Precipice.' Yes, the album sometimes seems to lack direction and this clearly isn't a type of music that appeals to everyone. But the song titles are top-notch and if you like earlier Mogwai or post-rock in general, I'd recommend it.

Also, the bird on the cover is an eagle, not a hawk. Anyway, Mogwai deserve to be at the top of the post-rock heap, with a longstanding mastery of slow-building sonic architecture and mood manipulation without the need for pesky words or hotdog showmanship. This album delivers flawless and simmering soundscapes that are an intriguing experience for the thinking and moody rocker. It's a great example of effective not-so-easy listening. But unfortunately, in many places on this album Mogwai seem to be drifting off into pure atmospherics while leaving song construction behind. Tellingly, the most interesting tracks on the album, including "Batcat" and "The Sun Smells Too Loud," actually function as songs with beginnings and ends, not to mention tangible musical themes. But many of the other songs don't function as much more than mood pieces that drift off into sleepyland, with the worst offender being "Thank You Space Expert."

Here we may also be seeing the beginning of the end for the whole post-rock style, with perhaps no more room for advancement from the artists of the genre. The songs here generally repeat atmospheres from Mogwai's earlier works and from other somber post-rock artists like Sigur Ros, and even Mogwai's occasional metallic guitar mood manipulations (like in "The Precipice" and the aforementioned "Batcat") are distressingly similar to the subtle deathmarches ground out by post-hardcore acts like Isis or Neurosis. This latest Mogwai slab still displays flawless artistry and it certainly delivers an intriguing listen, but you have to wonder about its staying power. [~doomsdayer520~]