By Stan Cierlitsky
So here we are, 30 years into their career and Mogwai are still kicking it. Their 11th studio album, The Bad Fire, is out January 24th on Rock Action Records. I have to admit that I've followed Mogwai for most of that 30-year career thanks mostly to my friend Bob. There were certainly highlights for me over that period: "Helicon 1" from Ten Rapid (1997), "Hunted by a Freak" from Happy Songs for Happy People (2003), and "Party in the Dark" from Every Country's Son (2017). Those are some that I love from their career. But it all got more serious for me when they released one of my all-time favorites of their songs in 2021: "Ritchie Sacramento" from As The Loves Continues. I immediately fell in love with this song on first listen. The fact that it was a tribute to the late great David Berman (Silver Jews, Purple Mountains) only solidified my love for it. But it seems like I wasn't alone as that 2021 Mogwai release was their first number one album in their critically acclaimed career. Seems like a lot of us got more serious about Mogwai together.
The Bad Fire, their first album after getting everyone's attention, is a guaranetee that they aren’t going to lose that attention any time soon. Last fall Mogwai released their first single from the new album, the glorious "God Gets You Back", a well-deserved Track of the Week here.
Such a solid return, and a bit of a stone's throw from "Ritchie Sacramento", especially the edit version. The full length original of "God Gets You Back" does a little more musical exploration before the song eventually explodes with Stuart Braithwaite's much loved vocals. Part of me would love to sit him down and talk him into doing a whole album with vocals, but then again why mess with a great thing?
The second single, "Lion Rumpus" also dropped late last year and it was another Track of the Week here too. It's a blistering instrumental that kind of reminds me of "Ceiling Granny" also off their last album. But I don’t think The Bad Fire is a rehash of their last album; Like with all of Mogwai's music, the band seems to be working from the same basic framework, but always finds ways to create new, interesting songs. "Lion Rumpus" also has a pretty cool POV video of a guy in New York City walking his dog.
The third single, "Fanzine Made of Flesh", is a good example of what I was getting at above. It's clearly Mogwai, but they stretch it out into somewhat of a radio-friendly pop song. This also has vocals, but they are frequently distorted. Again, this is something they've done most of their career.
I think my favorite song on the album is the subdued "Pale Vegan Hip Pain". The sharp, plucky lead guitar over a wave of a darkly beautiful backdrop is amazing. Then the guitar is replaced with a keyboard which almost makes it feel like an instrumental duet, especially when the guitar returns. And of course, like so many Mogwai greats the song builds gloriously. Another contender for best song on the album is "18 Volcanoes". It's another song where Stuart sings, but I swear this song reminds me of My Bloody Valentine as it's a bit shoegaze-y.
It's funny but I think every song on the new album is noteworthy, but I guess I should leave some for you to discover on your own. The new album The Bad Fire is out on Rock Action on January 24th. Mogwai are also doing an extensive tour and will be in Washington, D.C. on April 7th at the 930 Club. It will be my first time seeing them, and I couldn't be more excited.
The new Mogwai album, The Bad Fire, will be out in January 24, 2025. Details via Bandcamp below.
More details on all things Mogwai via the official website.
[Photo: Steve Gullick]