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The Hawk Is Howling
Participated by Mogwai
Studio : Matador Records
by Matador Records
Release Date : 2008-09-23
Publisher : Matador Records
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
EAN : 0744861084020
UPC : 744861084020
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 10 reviews)
List Price : $18.99
Our Price : $12.49
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Product Description |
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Mogwai's sixth album continues to showcase the fiercely layered guitars and dynamics of their classic work, and features a new array of rhythms and melodies. These hint more than ever before at their electronic and metal influences. Not only do they remain masters of the eloquently stretched guitar phrase, but they've also expanded the syntax to include a new, almost beat-driven sound. Limited deluxe CD+DVD in gatefold digipak includes video for "Batcat", directed by Dominic Hailstone (Aphex Twin), plus the Vincent Moon (The National) short film about Mogwai, "Before It Sounds". |
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A Beautifully Soft Hard Rock Album |
While there are no drastic departures from the melodic, brooding, hopeful sound of previous Mogwai works, there are a few minor changes that add up. First of all, The Hawk is Howling contains no vocal elements at all. Also missing are most of the electronic dubbing and sampling of previous works, yielding some of their most organic tracks to date. Perhaps most importantly, this album seems much more straightforward than their other offerings, with an emphasis on power rather than intricacy. There's plenty of somber, crystalline structure here, but there's also a newfound willingness to write tunes you can hum or stomp along to. Each track, excepting perhaps "Batcat," has an immediately apparent melody that could be played by one or two people on keyboards without losing too much vitality, and most tracks feature heavy vamping. The resulting tunes are simple and memorable. Everything is a little more aggressive and less complex than on previous Mogwai efforts, without losing the depth and creativity they're known for. This is elegant work.
While the overall mood is fairly consistent, there's quite a lot of stylistic variety on The Hawk is Howling. The strangely named opener "I'm Jim Morrison I'm Dead," with it's shimmering piano line and powerful organs, sounds like what might happen if Mr. Spock wrote a Klingon opera. On the other hand, "The Sun Smells Too Loud" is upbeat, even danceable, conveying a sense of enjoyment with the emotive force most artists in this genre sadly reserve for melancholy. "Scotland's Shame" is a straightforward, driving anthem that will immediately setup housekeeping in your hippocampus. "Danphe and the Brain" and "Thank You Space Expert" are catchy numbers that sound like somebody bouncing wordless poems off the sky. "The Precipice" is the thing you jump off of at the end, wondering if you can fly, and if anyone else can either.
One thing that sets Mogwai apart from most of their post-rock brethren/followers is that their hard rock roots are deep and healthy. With the barely-bridled malice of tracks like "Batcat" and "I Love You, I'm Going to Blow Up Your School," Mogwai not only invite the space invasion, but threaten to beat it back as well. At once meditative and gripping, The Hawk is Howling has as much in common with Tool's Lateralus as with the latest from Explosions In The Sky or GY!BE. Imagine your favorite hard rock band had a spiritual epiphany and spent a few years in a secluded monastery; Mogwai is what they'd sound like when they came back down the mountainside and found you worshiping a golden calf.
Another thing that sets Mogwai apart is their willingness to just keep writing beautiful songs, without trying too hard to reinvent themselves at the behest of critics. I encourage you to ignore all the cliched buzzwords of a typical music review, and focus on what these artists focus on: the craftsmanship, imagination, and enjoyability of the music. There's nothing revolutionary here, but there's an awful lot to like, maybe even love. It's always a challenge to predict what somebody else will find beautiful, but The Hawk is Howling is a good introduction to Mogwai, and, if you appreciate this genre at all, a good bet to earn a prominent place in your music player of choice. |
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MOGWAI IS BACK AND HOWLING!! |
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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! |
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Great music |
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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. |
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Good news for people who wish Happy Songs was a little less Happy... |
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. |
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More good stuff |
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. |
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