The Hawk Is Howling (Limited Edition with DVD)

by

Mogwai

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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.

I'm starting to doubt Mogwai have it in them to release another masterwork. While their last album wasn't the most innovative progression, it seemed like a perfectly fine encapsulation of the group's growing dynamics. Funny enough, the first two tracks seemed to mimic Mr. Beast's same first two song structures, in a less inspiring way. There is a certain laziness and predictability the once subtly perceptive, intricately melodic collective have been trading off over the years, reaching a logical peak with the last album but here routinely playing out under a guise of refinement. First timers should have a blast, but long time fans who were already becoming upset with the tidiness of their previous release might find this latest offering musically, and emotionally hollow. Ironically the most urgency found here may come from unintentional timing of this release coinciding with Wall Street's collapse, adding that much more salt in the apparent title jab to U.S. policy.