Right, lets get the obvious out the way. Shit name. I mean really shit name unless I'm proved wrong by some intelligent, uncontrived reasoning that in noway is related to the Hardcore music genre. Good, now lets talk about how this is completely different to any previous Mogwai album. Sure, its got music you can fall asleep to. Sure, its got music you can bathe in your miserable, deadbeat life to. BUT, it is different I promise.
Ok, maybe not to the untrained eye, but the seasoned Mogwai fan will notice that this is the most accessible album to date, with songs rarely pushing past the 6 minute mark. The album is not void of vocals like Hawk is Howling nor does it prominently feature vocals Mr. Beast. Hawk is Howling was produced by Mogwai confidant Andy Miller (One half of the production team of the legendary 1997 Mogwai Young Team album. Whereas, Hardcore brings back the other half, Paul Savage.
You know when you here a song that defines your music taste you feel that its your song even though its quite clearly not? Too Raging to Cheers is that song for me, even though it's clearly by Mogwai, I feel like I wrote it. I hope you know what I mean so I don't sound arrogant
San Pedro is formulaic and aggressive. A song that bellows from the Scottish Highlands. Multiple layers of noise rock guitar that although has melodic breaks, is an unrelenting power trip. Although it does sound like the soundtrack for a montage on a Halo 3 advert.
Mexican Grand Prix has a Kraut Rock feel with synthesized drums, vocoded lyrics and primitive sounding synths. This is set to be the popular track from the album and proves that sometimes branding Mogwai as Post Rock is a wee unfair, nay, a lazy misnomer. It would have been easy for them to have song after song of melodic build ups and ethereal cruscendos like the rest of the Post rock bunch. But Mogwai have once again proved that they can shake up a stereotyped music form and have produced a varied album which provides all the right answers to why you search for good music and wait great lengths for albums such as this.
Even after all this though, I'm still left wanting. Maybe it's because that although the form of the music is undefined and diverse, it is predictablty so. But I prefer to think it is just because I am used to Mogwai's standard of excellence and because it is near impossible for them to better themselves. I doubt Hardcore will go down as their best album, but it is a Mogwai album nonetheless and I love it.
8/10
Mogwai - White Noise
