REVIEWED: Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will by Mogwai
Seven years ago I came across an article about Blur and their seventh studio album, Think Tank, in the British music publication called Uncut. In the said article, the writer did made an interesting point about number seven, saying that the number holds a rather significant meaning to uh someone. And quite a significant milestone it was with that number since it turns out that the album was pretty poor, and added by the fact that they were in the cusp of a break-up or something with Graham Coxon leaving. In other words, number seven turns out to be not quite a lucky draw for the band because as how things stand at the moment, we have yet to hear anything new from the band again ever since. But then again, it's not all doom and gloom in the fabled land of number seven because Radiohead struck gold with In Rainbows, in 2007. So that must count as something.
2011's release Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will as you would have already guessed is Mogwai's seventh studio recording, and as how certain people would hold dear importance to that number, we figured it would be interesting to see if the album stacks up with the ever-so-mighty number. At first glance, the expectation towards this release (from us anyway) was pretty high since their last album, 2008's The Hawk is Howling is pretty special to us. As what we have said before, the album sounds as majestic as the hawk that graces the cover, and the overall final product is very solid and tight. We absolutely loved it.
With this new album, the band had managed to rope in one half of the producer for their debut, Paul Savage, to be at the helm for the recording of the new one; the other producer, Andy Miller, worked with them for their 2008 release. Not to say that it is a good thing anyway, and not to say that it is a bad thing as well but we'll make a point clear at this point in this entry: to avoid mild disappointment, maybe we should have not expected that much from a band that has a tendency to not actually make that much of a progress. Yes, after the majestic eagle has spread its wings and flew across the horizon, some idiot on the ground with a shotgun shot the bird down and quickly end the flight towards new territory. Perhaps what we're feeling actually is not disappointment but rather frustration after seeing the band delivering so much promise in the last album. Everything in this new album does not at all feel brand new - it feels as familiar, as recycled, as uninspired, and as tired as their other previous efforts. In fact, when we listened to the album for the very first time, we remembered clearly that there was no excitement on our faces - everything feels a bit too familiar, everything feels a bit too formulaic. So yes, they have added vocodered voice for "Mexican Grand Prix" and "George Square Thatcher Death Party", but they were hardly inspiring. In fact, if we're not mistaken the opening track from a certain album released in 2003 does include the use of vocoder; so it's hardly new at all.
Unlike the 2008 release which did pack quite a punch, this new one surprisingly feels very light and lacking gut. It's not the album that will stand up and look at you directly into the eye and orders you to pay attention to it, no; this album on a whole feels like it is more comfortable playing wallflower to any of its' potential owner. It won't scream at you, it won't beg at you, it won't even talk to you - it will just spend its' existence on one side, content with being constantly overlooked and forgotten. Remember Come On Die Young? Hardcore has all the characteristics of that album. Despite not sounding as dull as the former, it is just as instantaneously forgettable.
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will will be released on the 14th of February through Rock Action Records in the UK and Scotland, and on the 15th through Sub Pop in the US.
Seven years ago I came across an article about Blur and their seventh studio album, Think Tank, in the British music publication called Uncut. In the said article, the writer did made an interesting point about number seven, saying that the number holds a rather significant meaning to uh someone. And quite a significant milestone it was with that number since it turns out that the album was pretty poor, and added by the fact that they were in the cusp of a break-up or something with Graham Coxon leaving. In other words, number seven turns out to be not quite a lucky draw for the band because as how things stand at the moment, we have yet to hear anything new from the band again ever since. But then again, it's not all doom and gloom in the fabled land of number seven because Radiohead struck gold with In Rainbows, in 2007. So that must count as something.
2011's release Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will as you would have already guessed is Mogwai's seventh studio recording, and as how certain people would hold dear importance to that number, we figured it would be interesting to see if the album stacks up with the ever-so-mighty number. At first glance, the expectation towards this release (from us anyway) was pretty high since their last album, 2008's The Hawk is Howling is pretty special to us. As what we have said before, the album sounds as majestic as the hawk that graces the cover, and the overall final product is very solid and tight. We absolutely loved it.
With this new album, the band had managed to rope in one half of the producer for their debut, Paul Savage, to be at the helm for the recording of the new one; the other producer, Andy Miller, worked with them for their 2008 release. Not to say that it is a good thing anyway, and not to say that it is a bad thing as well but we'll make a point clear at this point in this entry: to avoid mild disappointment, maybe we should have not expected that much from a band that has a tendency to not actually make that much of a progress. Yes, after the majestic eagle has spread its wings and flew across the horizon, some idiot on the ground with a shotgun shot the bird down and quickly end the flight towards new territory. Perhaps what we're feeling actually is not disappointment but rather frustration after seeing the band delivering so much promise in the last album. Everything in this new album does not at all feel brand new - it feels as familiar, as recycled, as uninspired, and as tired as their other previous efforts. In fact, when we listened to the album for the very first time, we remembered clearly that there was no excitement on our faces - everything feels a bit too familiar, everything feels a bit too formulaic. So yes, they have added vocodered voice for "Mexican Grand Prix" and "George Square Thatcher Death Party", but they were hardly inspiring. In fact, if we're not mistaken the opening track from a certain album released in 2003 does include the use of vocoder; so it's hardly new at all.
Unlike the 2008 release which did pack quite a punch, this new one surprisingly feels very light and lacking gut. It's not the album that will stand up and look at you directly into the eye and orders you to pay attention to it, no; this album on a whole feels like it is more comfortable playing wallflower to any of its' potential owner. It won't scream at you, it won't beg at you, it won't even talk to you - it will just spend its' existence on one side, content with being constantly overlooked and forgotten. Remember Come On Die Young? Hardcore has all the characteristics of that album. Despite not sounding as dull as the former, it is just as instantaneously forgettable.
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will will be released on the 14th of February through Rock Action Records in the UK and Scotland, and on the 15th through Sub Pop in the US.
Labels: mogwai
posted by Hafeez at 6:06 AM
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