Mogwai
The Hawk Is Howling
Play The Hawk Is Howling
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AMG Review of The Hawk Is Howling
Heather Phares
All Music GuideWith each album, Mogwai discovers new ways of balancing the power and subtlety of their music. On The Hawk Is Howling, the band returns to its roots, working with producer Andy Miller for the first time in a decade and delivering its first set of completely instrumental songs in several albums' time. This is the most massive Mogwai's music has felt in quite awhile -- and for a band that turns in expansive pieces as regularly as they do, that's saying something. "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead" opens the album with shades of Mr. Beast's sparkling beauty, but it uses every second of its nearly seven minutes to more climactic effect than the previous album's subdued approach: beginning with intertwining pianos and keyboards, it teeters on the edge between beautiful and ominous, ratcheting up the tension until the song finally dies out with a violin that bleeds into feedback. That still doesn't quite prepare listeners for the wallop that "Batcat" -- which is The Hawk Is Howling's lead single -- packs. It's no secret that Mogwai loves metal and has never shied away from heaviness in their own music, but even their most churning workouts seemed to hover; "Batcat" hits the ground hard, and with a blunter impact, than any of their previous guitar workouts.
As fantastic as "Batcat" is, it represents The Hawk Is Howling only as proof of how wide-ranging the album's sound is. "The Sun Smells Too Loud" is aptly trippy and surprisingly poppy, with wispy electronic textures and a huge rhythm section that gives the song almost planetary heft; and though "Daphne and the Brain" doesn't hit any peaks or valleys, its rolling majesty and shadowy guitar melodies are still awe-inspiring. Between these major statements, The Hawk Is Howling takes breathers with smaller-scale tracks, like the glittering "Kings Meadow," that reveal their intricacy with repeated listens. The album's second half expands on that subtlety in different ways: Though the Heathers-quoting "I Love You, I'm Going to Blow Up Your School" climaxes in a skewering guitar solo, it's preceded by six minutes of artful counterpoint and jazz-tinged drumming; "Scotland's Shame" takes the opposite approach, with strong rhythms propelling a pensive melody for a uniquely mournful yet hard-hitting result. These tracks demand close listening, which makes "The Precipice"'s slow-burning tribal rhythms and swarming guitars even more dramatic as the album's final statement. At first, it's tempting to want all of The Hawk Is Howling to be as obviously powerful as its biggest tracks, but with time it reveals itself as one of Mogwai's most masterful blends of delicacy and strength.
Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling
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Rich Hughes reviews Mogwai's latest post-rock opus. The question is, after over 10 years making records, can they still keep it interesting?
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Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling
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So yeah, Mogwai has cancelled their US/Canada tour due to problems with Martin Bolluch’s (drummer) pacemaker (get well soon!), so instead of reviewing what would’ve been a pretty awesome show, I shall review their new release, The Hawk is Howling. I often feel too intimidated to review the more popular bands of post-rock, but [...]
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Mogwai's The Hawk Is Howling Is Streaming
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As of today, the Glaswegian's newest (out 9/23 via Matador) is streaming in full at the their MySpace. We've posted The Hawk's "The Sun Smells Too Loud" and "Batcat," but now you get to see firsthand if "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead" and "I Love You, I'm Going To Blow Up Your School" live up to their billing.
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Watch: new video from Mogwai
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Scottish post-rockers Mogwai return later this year with their new album, The Hawk Is Howling. It features this, 'Batcat'~~
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Mogwai's Brathwaite Howls About Hawk, CDs, Bush
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Scotland's rock legend Mogwai has a new disc called The Hawk is Howling touching down on Monday, although it is streaming now at the band's MySpace page. But that deafening buzz in your ears is most likely coming from the...
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Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling
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Rich Hughes reviews Mogwai's latest post-rock opus. The question is, after over 10 years making records, can they still keep it interesting?
More >
Video: Mogwai: "Batcat"
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--- - |- While the rest of the world is still queuing up to help the latest Batman movie make a jillion bazillion dollars, which is something like 50 euros, those demographically desirable early adopters now have "Batcat" to check out, from Glasgow post-rockers Mogwai's new one The Hawk Is Howling. Oh, it might not star Heath Ledger, but, um, it'll be a lot harder for all those right-wing thin...
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Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling
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The Hawk Is Howling may not induce the apprehensive anxiety of Happy Music For Happy People or even match the apocalyptic ambience of Rock Action, but when taken in isolation, even outside of the Mogwai name, it holds its own as Mogwai's first solely instrumental album.
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New Mogwai Video - "Batcat"
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For "Batcat," Glasgow's preeminent loud/soft/loud/soft instrumentalists give us a creepy chase scene filled with worms, flies, a dead cat, and a little girl who resembles a Renaissance painting. She's on the run from the people who stole the Knife's bird masks. As far as her soundtrack, "Batcat" comes from Mogwai's forthcoming six studio album The Hawk Is Howling. When we posted Hawk's "The Sun...
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Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling
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Artist:
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So yeah, Mogwai has cancelled their US/Canada tour due to problems with Martin Bolluch’s (drummer) pacemaker (get well soon!), so instead of reviewing what would’ve been a pretty awesome show, I shall review their new release, The Hawk is Howling. I often feel too intimidated to review the more popular bands of post-rock, but [...]
More >
Half Bat. Half Cat.
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All scary as fuck. I present to you the video for Mogwai's "Batcat". Perfect to watch by yourself in the dark at 2am. Mogwai's album 'The Hawk Is Howling ' is available now on Matador. It is also perfect to listen to by yourself in the dark at 2am.
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The Precipice
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Another great end-track from the highlanders. what more can folks say about this band that has not been said already. get mogwai'd now if you haven't yet.
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 "The Hawk Is Howling")
