Mogwai

Mogwai's evocative, largely instrumental rock adventure first gained notice in the mid-'90s with a promising debut album, Young Team. Since then, the Scottish act has produced some of the most breathtakingly cinematic compositions of recent years. The group's textured melodies induce moments of claustrophobic anxiety, transcendent peacefulness and catharsis —...

By Tom Murphy

April 26, 2011

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Mogwai's evocative, largely instrumental rock adventure first gained notice in the mid-'90s with a promising debut album, Young Team. Since then, the Scottish act has produced some of the most breathtakingly cinematic compositions of recent years. The group's textured melodies induce moments of claustrophobic anxiety, transcendent peacefulness and catharsis — often in the same song. Mogwai's wry humor and appreciation for the absurd finds its greatest expression in song titles seemingly put together without any special regard for meaning. In 2010, the band released a live performance video, Burning, along with the live album Special Moves; both document the group's famously visceral live shows. Touring in support of 2011's Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, Mogwai is an act whose sonic creativity shows no sign of flagging.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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Twitter: @simianthinker