Review Summary: Feels comfortable.
The post-rock titans are back with
The Bad Fire, a record whose title stems from a working class Scottish term for hell. It represents the rough times they went through during the last few years, with stories of loss hinted at in the lyrics throughout the few songs that have. Right from the beginning there is a familiar feel to the music, the Glaswegian quartet sinking us once more into their atmospheric universe of glacial keyboard leads over intertwining guitar and bass progressions. As usual, it is an album which requires a full listen to properly unfold, especially since the singles are the main upbeat, pop-oriented moments. “God Gets You Back”, for example, toys with arena sized synths, whereas underneath the rhythm section slowly boils until kicking into a swinging, shoegaze groove. A similar vibe comes from “Lion Rumpus”, albeit in a flashier rock style, boasting glorious guitar solos amid sturdy, low end rich bass lines. Meanwhile, “Fanzine Made of Flesh” takes the ‘90s alt-rock route, complete with trademark vocoder assisted singing from Stuart Braithwaite. All these are welcomed additions, due to a longer period of time where the group seemed to favor slow to mid-tempo material.
Digging further into
The Bad Fire, we can find more diversity and occasional throwbacks to earlier eras too. “If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others” offers that classic Mogwai sonic tension, growing from a rather quiet, uncanny riff to a fuzzy second half. “Hi Chaos” also unleashes heavy, effect-laden guitar washes after rounds of playful opening chords. The decision to partly shed the glossy production of its predecessor has its ups and downs in this case. The compression level does not truly allow the distortion to blow you away either. It’s a shame since there are a number of noisy parts which could have sent shivers down your spine in a more rounded mix. “18 Volcanoes” goes through the same sonic process, blending meaty bass and guitar riffs in a My Bloody Valentine fashion. This shoegazing ditty is more suitable for the respective production choices, as the rhythm section follows the same pattern. It’s when the members launch into disparate, layered segments, that the details turn out slightly murky.
From the toned down songs on the LP, “Pale Vegan Hip Pain” shares a lovely, bittersweet melody, augmented by interesting, fragmenting synths around it. Moreover, closing number, “Fact Boy” is a nice, ethereal lullaby with various embellishing electronic elements that gradually dissolve away during the coda. A sweet way to end
The Bad Fire, an album that ultimately wishes to fuse the immersive, even arena-esque leads of recent material with the 2000s, rock oriented Mogwai. Overall, it ended up just fine, despite the often contrasting production styles of the two eras. However, the too familiar feeling of the material stops the record from ranking higher in their catalog. Although there are a handful of highlights, the group has settled into a comfort zone from which good tracks emerge effortlessly, but nothing outstanding.