It's shaping up to be a busy year for seminal Scottish rock act Mogwai. After reissuing its first album, "Young Team," last month, the group's latest effort, "The Hawk Is Howling," arrives Sept. 23 via Matador.
Work on the album began last summer, but only one song from those early sessions wound up making the final cut. "We decided we could do better," group member Stuart Braithwaite tells Billboard.com. "We definitely concentrated [this time] on making something we were happy with."
The 10 cuts extend the band's trademark blend of soft, melodic meanderings with punishing noise, but absent are the vocals that have peppered albums of the past.
"The Hawk Is Howling" also reteams Mogwai with Andy Miller, who produced "Young Team." "It doesn't feel like much had changed," Braithwaite says. "I think he really wants the bands to play the way they can, and I don't think he uses any gimmicks. We had a hard time recording ['Young Team'], but thankfully the five records we've made since have been a lot smoother."
This fall, Mogwai will launch an extensive tour of the U.S. and Europe, including a slot at All Tomorrows Parties New York, alongside My Bloody Valentine, Built To Spill, Tortoise and Shellac, among others
Here is the track list for "The Hawk Is Howling":
"I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead"
"Batcat"
"Danphe And The Brain"
"Local Authority"
"The Sun Smells Too Loud"
"Kings Meadow"
"I Love You, I'm Going To Blow Up Your School"
"Scotland's Shame"
"Thank You Space Expert"
"The Precipice"
Work on the album began last summer, but only one song from those early sessions wound up making the final cut. "We decided we could do better," group member Stuart Braithwaite tells Billboard.com. "We definitely concentrated [this time] on making something we were happy with."
The 10 cuts extend the band's trademark blend of soft, melodic meanderings with punishing noise, but absent are the vocals that have peppered albums of the past.
"The Hawk Is Howling" also reteams Mogwai with Andy Miller, who produced "Young Team." "It doesn't feel like much had changed," Braithwaite says. "I think he really wants the bands to play the way they can, and I don't think he uses any gimmicks. We had a hard time recording ['Young Team'], but thankfully the five records we've made since have been a lot smoother."
This fall, Mogwai will launch an extensive tour of the U.S. and Europe, including a slot at All Tomorrows Parties New York, alongside My Bloody Valentine, Built To Spill, Tortoise and Shellac, among others
Here is the track list for "The Hawk Is Howling":
"I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead"
"Batcat"
"Danphe And The Brain"
"Local Authority"
"The Sun Smells Too Loud"
"Kings Meadow"
"I Love You, I'm Going To Blow Up Your School"
"Scotland's Shame"
"Thank You Space Expert"
"The Precipice"
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