Tours: Mogwai

Download: Mogwai - "The Sun Smells Too Loud"

04/​20 Houst​on,​ TX- Numbe​rs
04/​21 New Orlea​ns,​ LA- Repub​lic
04/​22 Birmi​ngham​,​ AL- Workp​lay Theat​re
04/​23 Ashev​ille,​ NC- Orang​e Peel
04/​24 Carrb​oro,​ NC- Cats Cradl​e
04/​25 Phila​delph​ia,​ PA- Troca​dero
04/​27 Brook​lyn,​ NY- Music​ Hall Of Willi​amsbu​rg
04/​28 Brook​lyn,​ NY- Music​ Hall Of Willi​amsbu​rg
04/​29 Brook​lyn,​ NY- Music​ Hall Of Willi​amsbu​rg
05/​01 Bosto​n,​ MA- Wilbu​r Theat​re
05/​02 North​ampto​n,​ MA- Pearl​ Stree​t
05/​03 Montr​eal,​ QUE- Metro​polis​
05/​04 Toron​to,​ ON- Phoen​ix
05/​05 Buffa​lo,​ NY- Tralf​ Music​ Hall
05/​06 Ponti​ac,​ MI- Crofo​ot Ballr​oom
05/​08 Chica​go,​ IL - Congr​ess Theat​re
05/​09 Milwa​ukee,​ WI - Turne​r Hall
05/​10 Minne​apoli​s,​ MN- First​ Avenu​e
05/​11 Omaha​,​ NE- The Slowd​own
05/​12 Denve​r,​ CO- Blueb​ird Theat​re
05/​13 Salt Lake City,​ UT- In The Venue​
05/​15 San Diego​,​ Ca- Belly​ Up Taver​n
05/​16 Los Angel​es,​ CA- Orphe​um Theat​re

The Scottish crescendo-rock sextet are still touring in support of last year's The Hawk Is Howling, an album that saw the band get back in touch with its aggressive side after the relatively subdued Mr. Beast. Ticket and support info to be announced soon.

Mogwai MySpace Page

Video: Mogwai - "Batcat"

Off of The Hawk Is Howling, out on September 23rd.

Mogwai MySpace Page

New Mogwai - "The Sun Smells Too Loud"

Matablog just debuted this tasty morsel from post-rock stalwarts Mogwai's upcoming album The Hawk Is Howling. The song is called "The Sun Smells Too Loud" and it, like Sigur Ros' material from this year, strives to push a band's sound into new, but familiar territory. "Smells" seems as straightforward a single as Mogwai have ever written, though its still an instrumental that gradually crescendos into something more grand and epic that the track began as. That said, listening to those guitars (especially the main octave line) and keyboards, it's impossible not to wonder whether or not Mogwai have gone new-wave (or as new-wave as Mogwai can possibly go)? Probably not, but that echo-drenched guitar line points to more straightforward pastures. Time will have to tell as to if this is Mogwai's true new direction. The Hawk is Howling is out on Sept. 23rd. A tour with Fuck Buttons is coming up as well.

(Jonathan Graef)

Mogwai's New Album Cover Features an Image Which Would Give Stephen Colbert a Massive Boner (Also: New Album and Tour Info)

Apropos of Scottish Post-Rockers Mogwai's newly announced LP, the title of which is The Hawk is Howling, the cover art of said album features...the American eagle. Which, as you know, is an eagle and not a hawk.

But while the image above certainly is effective at combining majesty and menace, will Mogwai listeners find it as beautiful and awe-inspiring as Steagle Cobeagle the Eagle? Furthermore, what kind of music would Colbeagle be into? I'd imagine that Steagle would go more for the patriotic songcraft of Toby Keith or John Mellencamp rather than the atmospheric, textural brand of crescendo-rock for which the post-rock progenitors are known. Still, that bird up there is a thing of patriotic boner-inducement, no?

What's even more boner-inducing (and, yes, I count girl-boners as well) is the fact Howling features guest vocals from psychedelic-rock legend and 13th Floor Elevator rider Roky Erikson. Which can only mean one thing: Post-rock plus Psych-rock = The Hawk is Howling will sound really good when you're shredding your tax-forms and smoking hashish. I'm looking at you, Willie Nelson.

In more awesome news, the band announced a tour supporting Howling with P4K-approved Fuck Buttons. Mogwai and FB will be playing together in MPLS on the 27th of September. The rest of the dates are below:

3-Portland, OR @ Music Fest NW (Mogwai headlining ; also appearing Del The Funkee Homosapien, Steel Pole Bathtub, Polvo, Jaguar Love and many more)
4-Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
5-Victoria, BC @ Element
6-Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
8-San Francisco, CA @ The Grand Ballroom
9-Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
10-Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto
12-Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
13-Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
15-Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
16-Richmond, VA @ The National
17-Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
18-New York, NY @ Terminal 5
19-Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
21-Monticello, NY @ ATP Festival
22-Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre
23-Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
24-Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
25-Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot
26-Chicago, IL @ Congress Theater
27-Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

The Hawk is Howling is out on September 23.

Mogwai MySpace Page
Fuck Buttons MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

New Mogwai - "Gouge Away" (Pixies Cover)

Download: Mogwai - "Gouge Away"
Download: Mogwai - "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong"
Download: Clint Mansell (performed by Mogwai and Kronos Quartet) - "Death is the Road to Awe"
Download: Mogwai- "Tracy"
Download: Pixies - "Gouge Away"

Mogwai's cover of the Pixies' "Gouge Away" from the as-yet-unreleased Dig For Fire – A Tribute to the Pixies hit Stereogum today.

I've never been huge into Mogwai, but, after hearing this cover, their CDs will definitely be getting a fresh hearing. I really love the crunch and the weight of this track. The Pixies do it better of course, but that's like putting a pile of kittens next to a hairless Sphynx cat and determining the kittens are cuter. It's a no-brainer.

British Sea Power and They Might Be Giants will also be featured on the collection, which comes out Nov. 27th. I'm really excited to hear what the Johns do with "Havalina."

Listen to Mogwai's cover, as well as the original (in addition to some other Mogwai tracks) at the top of the post.

(April Wright)
Mogwai MySpace Page

(April Wright)

The Fountain

Download: Clint Mansell (performed by Mogwai and Kronos Quartet) - "Death is the Road to Awe"
Download: Clint Mansell (performed by Mogwai and Kronos Quartet) - "Tree of Life"
Download: Kronos Quartet - "Lux Aeterna"

Speaking of The Onion, specifically
the AV Club, the newest entry in AV Club writer's Nathin Rabin excellently entertaining "My Year Of Flops" blog series (in which he re-evaluates films that are widely regarded as being commercial and critical flops) is for Darren Aronofsky's third film The Fountain. The film is criminally underrated and you can read Rabin's essay explaining why it is so here.

For me, one of the best aspects of the film was the score, which was composed by Clint Mansell (film composer and former member of Pop Will Eat Itself) and performed by Mogwai and the Kronos Quartet. The music is bone-chilling, ethereal and romantic. It suits the film perfectly and I have posted two tracks from The Fountain soundtrack, along with another Kronos Quartet track "Lux Aeterna" (otherwise known as the theme to Aronofsky's second film Requiem For A Dream).

It may be a little intense for Tuesday morning, but it is absolutely ingenious music, made for a wonderful film, all the same.

(Jonathan Graef)