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Mogwai

The Hawk Is Howling
2008
Matador

Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling (Cover Artwork)

Review by: BenAndThieves
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Published on March 24th 2009

As the crowded post-rock genre inches closer toward imploding under its own weight, leave it to Mogwai to show their followers how to do things right.

Now six full-length albums into their career, they’ve honed their sense of ebb and flow into a tightly refined science, twisting their way through grandiose song structures with expert panache. While The Hawk Is Howling doesn’t necessarily do much to surprise, it succeeds through its near-flawless execution. The record spans a wide breadth of moods and textures, from darkly foreboding (“Batcat,” “Local Authority”) to almost uncharacteristically upbeat (“The Sun Smells Too Loud”).

What becomes apparent when listening to the record from start to finish is how well each track flows into the next to create a cohesive whole, rather than coming off like a disjointed collection of meandering jams. As dramatically epic as it is eloquently understated, The Hawk Is Howling displays a rare level of compositional polish without a lot of wasted notes. “King’s Meadow” revolves heavily around a simple, memorable melodic guitar line that segues into the slowly festering “I Love You, I’m Going to Blow Up Your School,” a track that repeatedly rises and rests while steadily building up to its noisy and bombastic finish.

Despite a slight lack in innovation, The Hawk Is Howling remains an exceptionally well-crafted body of work. Mogwai might not be reinventing the instrumental rock game they helped popularize, but they’re still hoisting the bar above the majority of their peers.

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Posted by eazyd2 on 2009-03-26 09:58:18

are you fuckin serious? my housemate listens to this shit. so fuckin gay.

Posted by iconoclast on 2009-03-26 01:56:46

colin,
i totally agree. last song on mr. beast fucking shreds.

this album is quite amazing too.

Posted by fallingupwards84 on 2009-03-25 14:26:20

isn't that an eagle, not a hawk? or am i just poorly undereducated when it comes to ornithology?

maybe they're trying to be "ironic"?

indie kids love that kind of stuff

Posted by killdefenses on 2009-03-25 14:16:23

isn't that an eagle, not a hawk? or am i just poorly undereducated when it comes to ornithology?

Posted by fallingupwards84 on 2009-03-25 13:52:35
My Score:

pretentious people who like ridiculous music labels like "post-rock" are stoked

Posted by DrGunn on 2009-03-25 13:12:44

i love the shit out of a lot of their stuff (especially young team and rock action) but they have been on auto-pilot for a while. it's hard for me to work up much excitement for it.

Posted by neverlosethatfeeling on 2009-03-25 10:43:33
My Score:

Mogwai is the best band in post-rock... but this is Mogwai's worst album. Their track record was nearly perfect until they released Happy Songs, which didn't stand out enough. This one feels too self-conscious. The whole "not singing" thing seems forced this time around, and the song structure is shaped a bit like Mr. Beast, which is a much better album overall. They're covering territory they broke into albums ago. Mogwai needs to forget who they are and go further. I can't say that it's awful though, and I still love this band. 5/10

PS You're missing out if you don't see them live

Posted by xote on 2009-03-25 04:14:53
My Score:

Mogwai is punk rock.

Anyway the record is good but they seem to be getting kinda stale which is dissapointing.

The newest Mono record though... that shit is amazing

Posted by theproblemwithfire on 2009-03-25 00:10:10
My Score:

Mr. Beast was really good... this is a let down

Posted by colin on 2009-03-24 17:16:07

I think this one's better than Mr. Beast, which is good, because Mr. Beast had the first two tracks and not enough else.

mannn the last song on mr. beast is fucking killer. i actually prefer mr. beast to most of their other work.

i actually never got around to listening to "hawk," though, and should probably check that out.

Posted by danperrone on 2009-03-24 15:13:32
My Score:

terrible album from the most overrated band in post rock.

Posted by mattramone on 2009-03-24 14:46:20

Zzzzzzzzzzz. This shit is epic boredom on a scale with Misplaced! The Exclamation Mark in a Pretentious! Display or whatever that other band is called. Not to be that guy who says this, but why the fuck is this being reviewed on this site?

Posted by Archangel on 2009-03-24 13:39:17

Wow, it really took this long to review this release?

I think this one's better than Mr. Beast, which is good, because Mr. Beast had the first two tracks and not enough else.

Also, this album (and the accompanying Batcat EP) showcase Mogwai's best song titles.

Posted by CCSummers on 2009-03-24 13:17:14
My Score:

The Sun Smells Too Loud makes me want to shoot myself.
The rest is good.

Posted by nocigar on 2009-03-24 12:54:39
My Score:

Great review...great album.

Posted by inagreendase on 2009-03-24 11:46:53
My Score:

Took me a few listens to cull any real enjoyment out of this. Guess I just way prefer some buildups and descrescendoes to straighter ambience in my post-rock.

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