Unleash The Beast: Mogwai

Few bands can claim to have gained a cult-like reverence similar to Mogwai.  Over the past decade the outspoken Glaswegian post-rockers have consistently mined the edges of the mainstream delivering some defining works. 1996’s debut ‘Young Team’ with its volatile quiet/loud split persona first put them on the map, while each ensuing work has offered something new and intelligent. Back now with their fifth long-player, ‘Mr Beast’, the band have shown no sign of resting on their laurels - abandoning any orchestrals and synthetic sounds in favour of capturing the essence of their oft apocalyptic live sound. In fact, it’s perhaps their greatest work yet. Gigwise duly catches up with articulate frontman Stuart Braithwaite on the eve of ‘Mr Beast’ being unleashed…

Kicking off, the first thing that strikes you when talking about the album is obviously its name. A partial return to the ear-splitting intensity of their debut, Stuart is keen to deny the title was meant as a statement of intent, explaining: “It was just from a funny sign I saw at an airport! It’s not meant to be reflective of the music, to some people it is but we’re not really about symbolism.” That idea crushed, we move on to why the band decided to go loud, and Stuart adds: “We just really wanted to make a few so we could play them at gigs, they make great live songs. Tony (Doogan) who recorded and produced the record got frustrated when he saw us live when we play harder, so with ‘Mr Beast’ we were trying to get a bit closer to that experience.” While this return was clearly premeditated, Stuart believes there was no reason why after ‘Young Team’, they predominately abandoned the quiet-loud formula; “We just moved away from it, it just kind of happened. There was no conscious decision. We just do what we like and what comes out is quite natural – it’s a natural process.”

Another glaring omission from the album is its lack of orchestral arrangements. Stuart confirms that again this was tied in with the live experience: “We were frustrated that we couldn’t get the exact sound and do our songs justice live. To get session musicians in wasn’t really possible for a number of reasons. So with ‘Mr Beast’ it was just the members of the band, stripped down and being ourselves.”

Like all of their work, it’s impossible not to listen to ‘Mr Beast’ without emotions or feelings being roused. From the all consuming fear of the pummelling ‘Glasgow Mega-Snake’ to the heart-wending charm of ‘Friend of the Night.’ Strangely, Stuart admits that the band have no agenda to provoke a certain reaction from listeners, “Nothing is ever specific. People come up to us and say one song is the happiest or saddest song they’ve ever heard, they effect people in different ways. The music has an emotive essence to it, but we’re never paying consideration to it when we’re recording. It’s unconscious,” he explains.

Naturally, now over ten years into their career, there is an underlying fear that like so many bands Mogwai may go off the boil and produce a lacklustre work. Thank fuck then that ‘Mr Beast’ obliterates such thoughts. For Stuart and his four bandmates, losing their edge was never a consideration: “We’re quite self-critical so if there’s anything we’re not happy with it won’t come out. We’re honest with each other and say when something’s not right. I think the time to worry would be when people don’t give a shit – fortunately there’s enough people who care about us for us to carry on.”

One such person who gives a shit is Alan McGee who eagerly labelled ‘Mr Beast’ as the best art-rock record since My Bloody Valentine’s seminal ‘Loveless.’ Stuart laughs: “I’m not sure, no. It’s always nice to get some praise and I know Alan meant that when he said it, but we’re not going to get carried away!” At the other end of the spectrum, a few have taken exception to ‘Mr Beast’ recent single ‘Friend of the Night’ – something which tickles Stuart. First up, FHM’s ungrounded slamming “That was fucking hilarious. That guy really hated us; I think he had something against us. I’m sure if someone had of stuck the ‘Velvet Underground and Nico’ in front of him and he still would have hated that!” While a certain weekly music publication, the NME, which barely warrants comment: “I thought you were talking about a proper magazine! It’s kind of Heat for Libertines fans. I don’t give a fuck about them.”

Anyway and back to the album, we try and press Stuart for some superlatives, and ask if ‘Mr Beast’ is the greatest work Mogwai have produced: “We always want to do the best that we can, that’s kind of obvious… It’s definitely the most varied one. I still really like CODY ('Come on Die Young’) but I like them all for different reasons. I could say of course that we’re fucking brilliant and the album’s amazing, but I don’t want to come across big-headed. I am really proud of it though.”

Aside from promoting ‘Mr Beast’, Mogwai have spent recent weeks working on the soundtrack to a Zinedine Zidane directed by fellow Glaswegian Douglas Gordan and French artist Philippe Pareno. An experience, the band embraced: “It’s all new material – there’s no drastic change in direction, it’s perhaps more minimalist to suit the film. We all really enjoyed making the soundtrack so we’d definitely do something like that again.”