Mogwai has served as a recent and important point of connection for me. My discovery of their existence took place in 2016, when they contributed to the soundtrack for Before the Flood, a documentary about climate change that included music by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Gustavo Santaolalla. I indulged in that record to an obsessive degree for a bit, as the soundtracks by Reznor/Ross are a favorite go-to for writing. I didn’t pursue Mogwai further at the time, which was my own loss. It was 2021 before they came across my radar again. My favorite living author is a Scottish writer named John Niven. He took to Twitter to praise Mogwai’s 2021 record, As the Love Continues, and so I followed up.

            Before finding success as a writer, Niven spent most of the 90’s as an A&R guy at a major label in England. He’s admitted that Mogwai is one of the artists he’s proud to have signed. This point of connection links my favorite musician with my favorite author, and while Mogwai’s work is distinct and uniquely their own, this association renders them all the more special to me.

            Their instrumental music speaks to me as most Reznor/Ross soundtracks do, as they lean toward instrumental post rock. The atmospheric movements are intertwined with waves of rhythmic and melodic exclamations that hit at the right moment to stimulate something in me…the right amount of melancholy tones and movements without being a total downer…just enough to reflect and lose oneself to a meditative state. Their new album, The Bad Fire burns without end, as there’s seemingly no source…the flames are maintained on something that feels supernatural.

            Predominately instrumental, on songs where there is a vocal part, it’s poetic beyond what’s expected in the commercial landscape. “My heart breaks with every beat you’re missing/Trying hard to find what is forgiven/Going back is all I have.” There’s a lot of advice on not looking back, but it’s a habit we do on a collective level. This song reminded me of that.

            My personal favorite is an instrumental titled, Pale Vegan Hip Pain. Other favorites are Fanzine Made of Flesh, If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some Of The Others, and What Kind Of Mix Is This? These soundscapes build upon themselves and the resulting structure often feels like a wall of sound where I’d love to build a home.

            Their catalog is worth the deepest dive, and this record is a most worthy addition to their extensive body of work. Mogwai has definitely become an act that remains in constant rotation.