As the love grows

 

Mogwai is one of those bands you heard of before but whose work does not necessarily come to mind unprompted. And that is because they don’t want it to. And by that we mean, the band’s highly specific style is one of subdued intensity, one where sonic exploration is key, one that is undoubtedly more experimental than mainstream. Yet, with their tenth studio album, As the love continues, the four Scotsmen found themselves right on top of the UK charts a few days ago. For the very first time, and to their very own surprise…

Not just theirs, to be fair: in the age of TikTok viral tunes and Hip Hop (what we here call the global blend of pop, hip hop and electronica that currently tops most charts), the fact that such a non-commercial kind of music may resound so strongly is quite interesting — and stimulating. To start off, only one song on the album, second single “Ritchie Sacramento”, even features lyrics per se. And they are so ethereal that they largely fade into the overall atmosphere of the piece, much in the way British neighbors Archive or Massive Attack could have approached it. If that: both bands actually feature lead vocals from time to time…

Anyway, back to Mogwai: once you move past the sheer surprise of such an album becoming a hit, there is a second, even sweater revelation that will gradually dawn on you. Indeed, listening to As the love continues frankly comes as a welcome respite from these strange days we are collecting going through. The pensive nature of the band’s sound, which edges close to the melancholic realm but doesn’t quite go there, effectively triggers a meditative state in the listener’s mind (at least this one) that is both welcome and arguably therapeutic. Beautifully crafted melodies such as the increasingly orchestral opener “To the bin my friend, tonight we vacate earth” or the less grandiose yet equally subtle “Dry fantasy” will be sure leave you in a better shape than when you came in. And, after all, what more could we hope for in a song?

In other words, listen to this album and escape a little. You’ve earned it. We all have.