- Sub Pop
- Rock Action
Mogwai might have named their new album Rave Tapes (out January 21 in the U.S. via Sub Pop and January 20 in the UK via their own Rock Action label, Spunk in Australia, and Hostess in Japan and Southeast Asia), but on “Remurdered” it sounds like they’ve been listening to the electronic film scores of Vangelis and Wendy Carlos. Perhaps working on the soundtrack to the horror tinged TV series "Les Revenants" left an indelible imprint, providing them with the impetus to shift their sound away from the meatier riffage of yore.
There’s still some of that here, but the atmosphere is mostly night shivers coupled with blocky electronics, echoing back to technology-gone-wrong movies such as Westworld and Ringu. Mogwai’s mastery of the patient build hasn't changed, as “Remurdered” heads down a mazy path while the volume gradually increases, ultimately peaking in a mesh of criss-crossing synthetic textures.