On the banned list.
We’ll get to the press nonsense in a minute or two but lets give Mogwai and ‘Batcat’ its proper due first of all. Saying more with an instrumental track than the majority of bands deliver in a lifetime, the first song from the forthcoming ‘The Hawk Is Howling’ album sees Mogwai not only in relentless form but perhaps a bit more in touch with some of the sound that warmed fans ears, hearts and minds in their early days.
Its not as if Mogwai have changed their sound too much but there have been certain focuses or probably more importantly, certain sounds given more credence than others. At times Mogwai are loud, at times they’re quiet, most songs carry a bit of both but they’re very rarely anything less than great. ‘Batcat’ carries on this tradition, its wall of fuzz being propelled along with the drum and guitar flourishes you would expect. The peaks and troughs are perfectly managed and by the time the track nears its climax, the listener has been pulled about from pillar to post…in a good way of course. ‘Batcat’ is angry but it seems to be channelling its anger in the correct manner.
This is something that can’t be said for the Scottish media and the loyal lovers of that famous Scottish institution and European absentees Rangers who seem to be a little bit annoyed with the Mogwai boys. You know what the crazy world of Glaswegian football is like, theres always something kicking off and outsiders are probably advised to give it a wide berth. The origins of this latest outbreak are a bit complicated for a music website but you can find plenty of background via your good old friend Google but it is slightly distrubing that the same people who think its "banter" whenever they do something have chosen to get very angry over a humorous aside on Mogwai’s website.
Sadly no amount of negotiating and threats could help the ‘Gwai crack the top 10 with ‘Batcat’ so we’ll just have to see if the band carries out their threat to start publishing the addresses of first team players of the SPL runners up.
Given the Scottish media has kept quiet about blatant racism on the football terraces in the past six months it is slightly bewildering to see some low market tabloid rags setting out to have a pop at the ‘gwai but at least you know the boys are probably having a hearty chuckle at it all. They may not the hit the top of the hit parade but their music hits the target more time than most and ‘Batcat’ doesn’t fail them.