Mogwai - Friend Of The Night
[PIAS]

Mogwai's latest release is a slab of deep, dark, brooding loveliness that shivers at the edges with hope and the first dawnings of joy. It's as though everybody who ever felt a moment's pure emotion has joined together to put a collective finger on the point that makes you who you are.

Feted by their manager as the art-rock successors to My Bloody Valentine, Mogwai wring everything out of their instruments on this, the first single from forthcoming album Mr Beast. It's no surprise that the song is littered with the same Glaswegian melancholy as an offering from Arab Strap or Malcolm Middleton, since it was recorded in Mogwai's new Glasgow studio, Castle of Doom.

The tempo of Friend Of The Night is solemn and measured, stately and serene. The chord changes and piano motif push you on towards hope, though, avoiding the dour melancholy that the band are traditional proponents of. There's a real aching prettiness to this track, which says that it's okay to take life seriously and still be happy. Joy comes in different guises.