Single : Mogwai
Title: San Pedro
Label : Sub Pop
Release: 23rd May 2011
Rating: 3.7
Admittedly, I’m no expert on the finer details of post-rock; this was the first I’d heard of Glaswegian five-piece Mogwai and to be honest, I wasn’t particularly taken in. However, it seems that this band is often recognised for being a little misconstrued, something that is considered to add to their individual quality. Taking their music down the more instrumental route, Mogwai are known to be experimental with effects and textures. Often, this creates a more impressionistic sound than is usually heard from typically rock instruments – definitely refreshing to hear. Unfortunately, new single San Pedro doesn’t appear to follow this at all.
The majority of tracks on their 7th album Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, seem to offer a sense of pensive and cathartic depth. Even in the heavier sections, all instruments are intriguingly layered, igniting the texture and offering this mystical impressionistic element. However, San Pedro is a striking contrast, taking the form of a driving, distorted onslaught of hard-edged electric guitar riffs and crashing drums. The sound is certainly powerful and the absence of vocals adds an element of suspense. Still, the question you have to ask yourself is when does this suspense become just plain monotony? Despite the overall intensity of the track, there is little real variation which makes the whole thing drag a little. True enough, there are sections where the drums go to a half time feel, but this seems a poor reward for the relentless chugging of ‘let’s hit all the pedals at once’ distortion and rather uninspired guitar rhythms.
As a single, San Pedro just doesn’t seem to do the intricacies of Mogwai’s sound justice. From what I can tell, this is the blow-out track from the album designed specifically to let rip – with as much use of effects and heavy distortion piled on as possible. For a band heralded as showing an inspired combination of intrinsic rock intensity and experimental use of timbres, San Pedro appears to be a slightly empty promise. Let’s hope that future single releases show a bit more of what Mogwai really have to offer.
Words And Thoughts Of Anna Lumsden
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