MOGWAI
tiiiiiiilliious debut .lloqnut )iIllIlL’ 'Ieum released in l‘)‘)7. is their best yet. But the view's not unanimous. and bassist Dominic Altcltison 'l'esses up: 'I did an interview in Sweden recently and when I told the guy it wasn't my lavourite album of ours he was mortally offended. "You can't say that. You have to say it's the best one?" Don't get me wrong thoughf he says. 'lt has its moments.‘
Oh yes. it (fires have its moments. While Mogwai's live shows are built around huge aural peaks and troughs their patented subscription to the quiet/loud/quiet/loud/very loud indeed school of dynamics 7 this record. like its predecessors. is more subtle. It‘s a sound less v irulenl. but no less affecting.
‘\\'liile our live shows are pretty noisy. all our records with the exception of Young Yi'rttti have been pretty quiet affairs.‘ says Braithwaite. 'To be honest. w e‘v e never managed to capture that noise properly in the studio so we tend not to try.‘
lellls l/rr/i/iv Songs liir Happy People made great use of more complex tones but these Illoods and tones are expressed more deftly in .llr Iteuvt. An American journalist once suggested tlial. because it was largely instrumental. Mogwai‘s music was simple. Mr lieust reaffirms the idea that whatever the inherent compchin of what you hear. it doesn‘t require a token vocal commentary from a spurned twentysometliing to he moving.
The album title. conversely. is as silly as it is inspired. 'We were coming into the arrivals
‘US? WRITE THE SOUNDTRACK TO A FILM ABOUT FOOTBALL? FUCKIN’ YEAH!’
lounge of a big American airport. Atlanta or something] Aitchison explains. ‘lt was at that spot where everyone is standing around with wee signs with names of who they‘re there to pick up. One gu_v was standing with a sign that said “Mr and Mrs Beast" and we thought "brilliant?"
In another recent twist. former (‘reation supremo Alan McGee has become the band‘s
manager. ‘.-\lan used to give us hits and bobs of
adv ice and there was a point about a year or so ago when I think he realised quite how out ofour depth we were. Also. we were getting a wee bit sick of having to stop rehearsals to take calls from various fucking lawyers from around the world. It seemed like a good idea.’
‘So now he calls us up every three months to tell us how great we‘re doing and that's it.’ Bums adds.
Spending time in the company of Mogwai makes you realise why they've managed to maintain such quality and consistency. They get on. It was no idle boast to call their debut .llogii'ui Young ’I‘eum. They may have been revelling — foolishly perhaps — in the faded faux glamour of Scottish ned culture. but it reminded us that this wasn't just a hand. but a gang. A gang who remain cheerily diffident about the wholesale embrace of indie music as mainstream. ‘lt obviously doesn't have anything to do with us. But I have got an .-\rctic Monkeys badge.‘ says Braithwaite. brandishing said button gleefully.
This attitude is why Mogwai thrive. They haven't actively brushed off potential suitors — licensing songs to TV' ads. being the mood music
24 THE LIST HHS? Apr 3006
for a break up on Sex and the (‘itv and the engagement with McGee are indicators of this -- but they have resisted changing to fit in. and they can expound on their ideas without being stuck living or dying at the hands of the media. The secret to their longevity is even simpler again; an old-fashioned conceit called democracy.
‘lt‘s easy. If we disagree there are five of us so we just take a vote and then if three of the people want do something and two don‘t. then they just have to lump it.‘ says Braithwaite.
‘But there is like a mega veto. that overrules everything.‘ adds Burns. I presume it's something that’s seldom employed though.
‘I use it quite a lot actually.‘ deadpans Aitchison.
Despite records with song titles about fantastic animals utilised as a mode of public transport. (Mr Beust‘s coruscating highlight ‘(ilasgow Mega Snake') and despite the music world‘s regrettable fixation with the post-punk era. Mogwai are still doing pretty damn well. They
may not be booking a permanent spot on 'Iiip (if
the Pops any time soon — although last single ‘Friend of the Night' did make number 38 in March — but they have just about sold out their show at the Royal Albert Hall in London this September. The gig will be the climax to a season of touring that takes in some of the world's best festivals — Primavera in Barcelona. Coachella in Califomia — en route. The band are in joyful amazement that they can convince 7()()() Londoners that blissful instrumental rock is the kind of wheeze they should subscribe to.
Heading down Woodlands Road with Mr Beast resonating in my headphones brings me one final realisation about Mogwai‘s music: it's so transcendent and expansive. so big. beautiful and clever. that it can soundtrack the effervescent skills of the world‘s greatest footballer as perfectly as it can the glowing yellow fluorescent streets of Glasgow. The beast has legs and it knows exactly where it's going.
Mogwai play the Usher Hall, Edinburgh Thursday 27 April as part of Triptych. See Clubs and Music for Triptych highlights.
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One,two.three,more
Mogwai are just one of the great Scottish acts gracing the stage at this year’s celebration of the weird and wonderful corners of the music world that is Triptych.
I The other big hitters this year are Belle and Sebastian (the Greatest Scottish Band of All Time according to you lot). hosting an all-(layer at the Tramway invoIVing friends from all corners such as the Concretes and DaVid Holmes in an all-out attack of music diversity. The Glasgow band's clean harmonies and strummed tales of the minutiae of modern life might be a bit twee for some but their unique place in the Scottish musical landscape should be forever savoured. Just check the folk-rock meets 605 pop of current album The Life Pursuit for further proof. I At the other end of the spectrum there's the abrasive post-punk of Edinburgh's Fire Engines. Formed back in 1979, they disbanded by 1981 but had already left a legacy of sharp musical cuts. The recently reunited band have expanded and reaffirmed their place in the history of Scottish mu5ic.
I The 1990s are part of the evolutionary process started by the Fire Engines. Formed from the ashes of V-Twin and Yummy For they combine fuzzed up garage With ripped up pop. In a similar vein, Fife post-punkers Bricolage are making a name for themselves. Both acts look like they could be on the verge of crossing the divide into the indie mainstream.
I The same goes for the X-Vectors but they plough a more funked up punk road with their rock-fuelled electro. Christ go for an even more Ieftfield take on the electronica format. Add to that sets from The Rebel. How to Swim and Found. and Triptych represents a perfect snapshot of the Scottish music scene.
(Henry Northmore)