Mogwai: Les Revenants Soundtrack
Mogwai
Les Revenants Soundtrack
(Sub Pop Records)
Have you heard of the TV series, Les Revenants? Yeah, me neither. At least that was the case until I learned that Mogwai was doing the soundtrack. These post-whateveryoufancy mostly-instrumental Scots have been creating atmospheric tunes for nearly two decades, and such moody music is really the ideal companion for a zombie series.
Compared to the bandâs back catalogue, Les Revenants is remarkably constrained. Gone are most of the wailing guitars and sudden bursts of clattering, frazzled chaos. This soundtrack excels at the ominous and the creepy, introducing a mood thatâs slightly off before reassuring, then repeating. This is music that sneaks up on you and surrounds you with its intentions.
âThe Huts,â for instance, has a slinky sense of motion that leads flawlessly into the powerful âKill Jester.â Here strings moan on as though ushering in funerals to mourn the lost, while the piano surges forward even as a bit of synth to offset the balance. âThis Messiah Needs Watchingâ lays on the fuzz, but keeps things subtle, while âWhisky Timeâ is a delicate reprieve of piano and muted guitar.
The breaks in the tension are some of Mogwaiâs most beautiful work to date. âSpecial Nâ has a confidently, quietly assertive riff and uplifting strings that combine to create surging optimism. In a similar vein, âWhat Are They Doing In Heaven Today?â is a molasses-infused country twist on a Washington Phillips classic. Even through the darkness, beauty triumphs, and Mogwaiâs take on Les Revenants stands on its own as a powerful, graceful record.