Mogwai - Black Spider / Half Time

Although these Scots have been pushing the same path across several albums now, their style of evocative, hair-raising post-rock never seems to get tiresome to me. So how long is it before Mogwai's highly emotive sound begins to get boring or a bit on the dreary side of things? Well judging by this two track slab of 10" vinyl, the answer to that question thankfully is never.

Football and dreamy guitar soundscapes are not usually two themes you'd see hand-in-hand, but Mogwai have written these simply breath-taking tracks for a Zidane documentary film that is far more than a soundtrack and ranks as one of their finest moments put to wax. Both tracks recall their earlier, more serene direction not really heard since their beautifully stripped Come On Die Young album or No Education = No Future (Fuck the Curfew) EP.

As opposed to the carnage ear-drum bursting riffage they sometimes take, or the addition of vocals and the occasional drum machine in recent times, Black Spider is one of the most delicate and beautiful pieces they've recorded. The drums are in slow motion, the guitars are barely strummed and the low slung bass is at times barely audible, which makes it so confusing as to how they achieve such breathtaking results, from so little.

How this will fare up against documentary footage is intriguing, but even if this music / visual project isn't pulled off as expected, we can still enjoy the beautiful music contained within this single. Essential for Mogwai and post-rock fans alike.