Mogwai

Add Date: September 6 

Artist: Mogwai 

Album: Earth Division EP 

Label: Sub Pop 

Genre: Rock, post-rock, orchestral pop 

Comments: Mogwai's latest effort, the 4-track Earth Division EP, sees the band moving away from the crunching post-rock and post-electro--at least to a certain degree--that these Glaswegians have become known for. Album standout "Hound of Winter" is a hybrid of neoclassical and chamber pop, with swirling strings and, indeed, lyrical vocals--not something that you'll find in your average Mogwai tune. "Drunk and Crazy" brings in some of the crunching, distorted guitars that you might expect, but the wall of sound eventually drops out to reveal an orchestral soundscape. Closing track "Does This Always Happen?" will tease Mogwai fans with its slow buildup, but you'll keep waiting for a wave of crashing guitars and synths that never comes.

Earth Division is the follow-up to the band's seventh full-length, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, which was released on Sub Pop back in February. I don't know that the songs here reveal a change in direction for the band; this is a standalone EP, so my guess it that they're just tinkering with some new ideas. It's always nice to hear something a bit different, though, so try tracks 2 and 3.