Mogwai

As The Love Continues

Written by: KW on 15/02/2021 20:17:40

Post-rock legends Mogwai are back with none other than their 10th full-length release, no less than 25 years later from the release of their very first single as a band. As a pretty avid post-rock fan, I have weirdly never really dived into one of the biggest bands in the genre, not because of any particular reason. But with “As The Love Continues” I finally alleviate this mistake.

And it’s mostly pretty enjoyable throughout albeit nothing overly sensational. It’s post-rock by the numbers laced with eccentric song titles and instrumental, grandiose soundscapes that gradually get more intense. Opener “To The Bin My Friend, Tonight We Vacate Earth” fits this bill perfectly with its cinematic opening sample speaking the title of the track and the ethereal piano chords throughout which is later dramatized with roaring synths and guitars. The spacy “Dry Fantasy” isn’t as hard-hitting but instead a very soothing, almost trip-hoppy psychedelic trip of swirling guitars and celestial ambiance that uses repetition and small iterations as a hypnotic device to the listener. “Fuck Off Money” and “It’s What I Want To Do, Mum” are two of the most intense post-rock cuts here that couple the glacial electronics and climactic instrumentals to the most chilling effect. While it’s far from groundbreaking in sound, it is still hella effective.

To the album's favour, it does present a couple of surprising turns, mostly in the form of “Ritchie Sacramento” and “Ceiling Granny” which are way more straight shoegaze than the rest of the record, where the former even introduces vocals to the mix (gasp, on a post-rock album?!). The vocals are fittingly understated and laid back, but also catchy and enveloped by reverb-swathed guitars. “Ceiling Granny” also follows the shoegaze route yet in instrumental form and is actually one of my favourite tracks on the album with the fuzzy and droning guitars playing uplifting riffs, not far from a Silversun Pickups or Slow Dive sound.

However, some duds have also sneaked onto the album, unfortunately. “Here We, Here We, Here We Go Forever” doesn’t just have an annoying title to spell out, but the incessant and overly distorted, fuzzy synth, playing seemingly random melodies throughout, ruins an otherwise quirky and nice-sounding little piece of post-punky guitars and drum machine beats. “Pat Stains” also fails to leave any lasting impact on me and is an example of a post-rock buildup where the payoff simply isn’t worth it - no amount of excessive distortion found in the climax can save the layers and melodies here from being forgettable.

I ultimately enjoyed my time getting acquainted with Mogwai through “As The Love Continues” but also didn’t find anything that completely blew my mind. While it serves as a very nice backdrop while working or chilling at the computer, I don’t see myself giving this a regular spin over other recent records within the genre, but I recommend checking it out if you’re really thirsty for some more cinematic rock - cause you can’t go wrong here.

7

Download: Ritchie Sacramento, Fuck Off Money, Ceiling Granny, It’s What I Want To Do, Mum
For the fans of: MONO, This Will Destroy You, Explosions In The Sky
Listen: Facebook

Release date 19.02.2021
Rock Action Records

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