Back catalogue: Post Rock/Experimental

Review: Marking the Glasgow post-rockers' 11th release, this record comes alive through the skilled hands of producer John Congleton, renowned for his work with acts like Sigur Ros. Kicking off with 'God Gets You Back,' the track throws you into a chaotic soundscape that feels like Daft Punk being pursued by My Bloody Valentine. Meanwhile, 'Fanzine Made Of Flesh' and 'Lion Rumpus' play with contrasts, merging whimsy and heft. The Bad Fire encapsulates Mogwai's talent for weaving beauty into sonic intensity, ensuring their unique voice resonates as powerfully as ever.

Review: Whilst Mogwai's scores for Zidane and Les Revenants were diverting enough pieces of work, it's some testimony to the frontier-striding attitude and emotional heft of 'Atomic' - which marks a soundtrack to the movie made by Mark Cousins and shown on BBC4 last year, dealing with the atomic age - that is stands amongst their very best work, Expanding the band's palette to include Kraftwerk-esque electronica and emotive orchestration alongside their trademark six-string melancholy. these powerful and resonant pieces pack a mighty punch, summoning awe and fear in equal, elegiac and singularly appropriate measure.

Review: Ask yourselves not whether Mogwai are just the tonic we all need in the middle of a particularly psychologically damaging pandemic. Instead, ask yourselves if there are any situations in which we don't need a new record from the Scottish space rock, post-rock, math-prog masters. Needless to say, then, As The Love Continues couldn't have arrived soon enough.

Marking the triumphant tenth LP, in many ways it's typical stuff from the band - commanding, epic, crashing, wooshing, flying, falling, loving, losing, dreamy guitar music that seems to open as many eyes as it does render listeners blind through sheer hypnosis. Packing some delightfully droll track titles to boot - for example 'F**k Off Money' - given most of us spent a good deal of time after the announcement last year wishing this would get here sooner it's our pleasure to confirm it's every bit worth the wait.

Review: It's hard not to feel you're misusing words like 'auteurs' when talking about art. Nevertheless, for some artists and acts the term applies perfectly. And many people would likely agree that Mogwai are one for that list. After 25 years in the game, putting out ten studio albums including As the Love Continues, not to mention scores of EPs and more than a few movie scores, you can spot their signature a mile away, with just a hint of their sound.

As the Love does nothing to disprove that point, and all the better for it. It's a woozy mixture of sorrowful epics and life-affirming crescendos built from post-rock foundations, but divergent enough to send us into a hundred directions without really veering from that course. A sound bigger than most mountains, we hope they never get exhausted from the climb.

Review: When Mogwai crept into earshot in 1997, post-rock was still a relatively novel idea. The band themselves seem nonplussed by the awkward definition, but what they presented in their brooding, orchestral compositions for the traditional band set up were certainly taking rock music into exciting, uncharted territory. There's lyrical beauty in the playing on this, their debut album, and moments of searing intensity where it counts. These qualities sound all the better for the brilliant remastering treatment, which helps the album positively leap off the sky blue vinyl. Lifelong fans will rejoice, and new arrivals will find their minds blown by a true landmark debut from this most mighty of alternative rock bands.

Review: Revered psyche rock man Dave Fridmann, produced this one from Scottish guitar heroes Mogwai, just as he did their previous albums Come On Die Young and Rock Action. As always it is a structured soundscape built from the bottom up with an array of contrasting sounds, drones, textures, timbres and moods. The 56 minute record manages to be grateful and impactful with its hymnal tracks, trance-rock overtones and subtle but ever rising sense of euphoria always keeping you locked in. This is an album that will keep old fans happy and likely win over plenty of new ones.

Review: Moody Scottish rock experimentalists Mogwai have got a vast catalogue of post-everything sound that goes from the absorbingly dark and heavy soundtrack to the Zidane film to the spacious, noisy and cacophonous rock drawl of albums like Mr Beast. They are also superb in the live area and have played so many times before for BBC radio that they put together Government Commissions: BBC Sessions 1996-2003 back in 2005 with some of their favourite bits from seven of those sessions. The album is dedicated to John Peel who hosted the bulk of these in the first place.

Review: RECOMMENDED
It has been 25 years since Mogwai first started their meteoric rise to alt rock deity status by wrapping listeners and audiences up in a deep, immersive, contemplative, euphoric post rock soundscape. During that time the outfit have only increased their following, and consistently proven themselves capable of developing genuinely unique, fresh ideas, while still staying true to that original sonic palette.

Those roots are now celebrated and re-released on this exclusive triple-vinyl package, which takes its lead from the already released E.P. +6. In fact, this new version has exactly the same contents - the first three Mogwai EPs from between 1997 and 1999 - but this time they are coming out on wax. Historically, these are among the most significant in their back catalogue, helping establish and then define a sound. In terms of rarity, you'll struggle to find 4 Satin, No Education = No Future (Fuck the Curfew) and E.P. on black plastic through any means other than this boxset.