Album Review: Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

[Sub Pop, 2011]

Mogwai really have been around for a long time, so it's understandable that they might want to stray slightly from the forumla they had perfected by the mid-2000s. Their newer material has featured less of the sprawling post-rock (although the band have always despised that label) and more actual 'songs' in the true meaning of the term. Some of the music here is vintage Mogwai, but there are some surprising departures as well, such as the synth-fest that is 'Mexican Grand Prix', the stright-up indie rock of 'George Square Thatcher Death Party' and the soothing, tender piano-led blues of 'Letters To The Metro'. The album overall is almost tranquil, being definitely the most melodic Mogwai record I've heard, with the only real 'builds'-structured song on the album being the sprawling 'You're Lionel Ritchie' - and even this is more along the Explosions In The Sky route to melodic post-rock for the first half, and then very Spiderland-y for the second half, and not really what you would consider in the 'classic' Mogwai style.


The album really does feel like a new beginning for the Glaswegians. They seem to have been trying to find a new direction, away from the abrasive soundscapes of their early work, for a good few albums now, and only with 'Hardcore....' does it actually feel like this could be the benchmark of later- (or possibly middle-)period Mogwai. You can hear how they got here from 'Young Team', with a few moments, especially in the second half of the album, that sound like vintage Mogwai - it seems like a culmination of all their past work. They're one of the few bands still around from the mid-90s who manage to keep themselves sounding fresh, still sounding like they're challenging themselves to expand their sound. They could even expand their fanbase with this - it's probably more accessible than any other Mogwai record, despite the lack of much in the way of vocals, and is in places genuinely tender, but still retains the spirit and fire of any of the band's releases.

Looking forward to the rest of 2011

I've had a bit of a think about what I'm expecting my albums of the year this year to be. I've already heard a good number of great albums this year (Decemberists, Yuck, Mogwai) and it's shaping up to be a classic. Here, in no particular order, is my list of what I'm expecting my year-end list in December to look like. We'll see how accurate I am.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong
The debut was fantastic, and what I've heard of the new one has got me more excited about an album than I've been since this time last year, when I was building up to my album of 2010, High Violet. We can but hope it'll come to the same result.

Radiohead - ?
A bit obvious maybe, but In Rainbows was so good, and so surprising given that Hail To The Thief was a fairly big let-down. I, like all but about 10 people in the world, have no idea at all what their new album will sound like, but if it is as forward-thinking and genuinely beautiful as their last, it'll be a treat.

Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
With this album having leaked on New Year's Eve, I have already heard it. It's brilliant, continuing the more accessible vein of the last couple of Mogwai albums but with the atmosphere of their earlier stuff. Expect a fuller review in the next few days.

Cass McCombs - ?
This American songwriter has been releasing classic albums fairly regularly for the last few years, and I think he's the most likely of the current batch of folky guitarists to vastly increase his fanbase with a new album this year, especially if it turns out being one of his more upbeat albums.

The Strokes - ?
They aren't new or exciting, they're no longer as cool as they were in 2001, and they've made a collection of middling solo and side-project albums between them since their last album, which was incredibly disappointing. But I'm always going to love 'Is This It?', it being one of the albums that got the rest of the world (and me) into the early 2000s garage rock scene, and gradually led me to where my music tastes currently are. If the first few bars of the new record have anything like the effect on me as the beginning of 'What Ever Happened?', this is going to be a fun year.

Veronica Falls - ?
I talked a lot about them in my recent post on them. They've only released 5 songs so far, but each one of them (especially the singles) have been truly excellent, and they're really good live too. They have the potential to not just make it into my top 10 of the year, but be a bit of a breakout hit too. We'll see.


Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
I reviewed this album earlier today, which means I don't really have any great new insights for this post. But it's bloody good.

Battles - ?
Their last album came out aeons ago, and they must have been working on something new for a while. I'm expecting something slightly more tuneful and less front-loaded than their last effort, but since no-one has really taken up the math-rock gauntlet they laid down with 'Mirrored' 3 years ago I'm expecting them to try and ram their ideas more into the current American rock scene. Math rock is my prediction to be the 'growth' genre this year, in the way that the new wave of shoegaze might come to be seen as the 'thing' of 2010.

Yuck - Yuck
Another album I've already reviewed. You can find my thoughts on it here. A smattering of Sonic Youth and a real variety between the songs make this a proper album - a collection of songs that work either on their own or as an LP. Probably not going to make the upper reaches of the list, but I can see myself listening to it an alarming amount this year.

(wild card) 
A London indiepop album, either the new Shrag/Standard Fare/Allo Darlin' or a debut. Or maybe some kind of acoustic guitarist I haven't heard of before, in the tradition of Bon Iver and Tallest Man On Earth. Who knows. Basically, it looks like it could be a bumper crop.