Arriving a quarter-century after the release of
Mogwai's debut single,
As the Love Continues is an album that, from its title to the warmth and immediacy of its songs, wears its heart on its sleeve. Usually, the venerable Scottish band play a cat-and-mouse game with tension and release in their music; while this restraint often makes the payoffs all the more rewarding, it's a true pleasure to hear them fill these songs with so much melody and energy. Sometimes, it feels like they're spoiling their listeners with just how accessible the album is. The opening track, "To the Bin, My Friend, Tonight We Vacate Earth," wastes no time shifting from its graceful piano and guitar beginnings into crescendoes that are so triumphant and satisfying that most bands would save them for last. On each track that follows,
Mogwai reinvent the sounds they've pioneered over the years. When they return to the electronics that dominated
Rave Tapes, it's not with that album's austerity. Instead, "Fuck Off Money"'s synth meditations reach cosmic proportions, and "Here We, Here We, Here We Go Forever" piles an album's worth of melodies and moods into just under five minutes. And while
Mogwai are no strangers to combining rock and synths, they've rarely sounded as vivid as they do on "Supposedly, We Were Nightmares"' mix of fuzzed-out and neon-bright tones. Here and on
As the Love Continue's other rocking moments, there's a sense of fun that feels new. "Ceiling Granny" is a pedal-stomping good time full of tumbling riffs that hark back to the mid-'90s heyday of
Smashing Pumpkins and
Dinosaur Jr.; the epic "Drive the Nail" is a prime example of the band's famously deadpan humor in both its title and execution; and "Ritchie Sacramento" is a rare foray into indie rock with vocals that hits the heights of
Music Industry 3. Fitness Industry 1.'s "Teenage Exorcists."
Mogwai don't skimp on
As the Love Continues' beauty, either. "Midnight Flit," a collaboration with
Atticus Ross that weds frisson-inducing strings with ecstatic guitars, just might be their most romantic track ever. The handful of more typically reserved songs on the album work well as breathers between its outpourings. Built around one patiently unfolding motif, "Dry Fantasy" is classic
Mogwai, as is "Pat Stains," a circular, chiming,
Colin Stetson-assisted track that sounds like it could've appeared on Young Team. It may have taken
Mogwai 25 years to open up like this, but it was well worth the wait:
As the Love Continues is another peak in their long and influential career. ~ Heather Phares