Mogwai

Anyone whose ears are still ringing from the recent My Bloody Valentine show can attest that it was one of the most mind-numbing outings to hit this city in a long time. When the Glasgow-based post-rock outfit known as Mogwai comes to town, there's a good chance it will be just as visceral, albeit on a smaller scale. When Mogwai formed, in 1996, the guys took cues from groups like Valentine, Sonic Youth and God Machine, cranked up the volume and have been unleashing equally compelling audio assaults ever since. But it's not all sheer noise. As evidenced by the stirring, layered washes of guitars that swell into impenetrable sheets of sound and then back down again, the members of Mogwai are masters of dynamics.