With 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.