Sonic Gloom:
The enigmatic Glasgow post-rock outfit have reunited with producer Dave Fridmann for this latest batch of instrumentals, and opener Coolverine’s languid, sonorous bassline at first suggests a return to the style of one of their earliest collaborations, the gloomily minimalist Come On Die Young.
In fact many of the subsequent tracks are unexpectedly upbeat. Party With The Dark even has a chorus – and one that wouldn’t sound out of place on an album by the Killers.
Some work better than others: AK47 is pleasingly retro, sounding like the theme from a sinister computer game released in about 1983, but Old Poisons can’t pretend to be anything other than a dad-rock wig-out.
Nevertheless, Mogwai remain the go-to band for morbidly atmospheric soundscapes.
This review first appeared in the Sunday Post
James JW Robinson 