Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Seeing them this far down the bill made me feel old and out of touch. In my mind, they're on par with Explosions in the Sky, Tortoise and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Then again, I'm not sure how high Tortoise would be billed these days...
Last Edit: Feb 14, 2012 22:19:59 GMT -5 by Deleted - Back to Top
I thought Explosions in the Sky had a pretty good time-slot considering they aren't really that well known enough to warrant a late night show. Mogwai, on the other hand, definitely are, and it WOULD be an insult to put them late afternoon on a Sunday.
I really, really, really like the Government Commissions album (BBC Sessions). I think it was the first Mogwai record I ever listened to.
I thought Explosions in the Sky had a pretty good time-slot considering they aren't really that well known enough to warrant a late night show. Mogwai, on the other hand, definitely are, and it WOULD be an insult to put them late afternoon on a Sunday.
I really, really, really like the Government Commissions album (BBC Sessions). I think it was the first Mogwai record I ever listened to.
EitS are definitely more well-known than Mogwai (I still think they'll get a LN though)
Post by thisismyname on Feb 15, 2012 22:40:29 GMT -5
Seems doubtful, but I guess I could see it happening.
*Plus with these dates...
...6/2 Los Angeles, CA The Music Box 6/3 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern 6/8 Atlanta, GA Center Stage 6/11 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 6/12 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer 6/14 New York, NY Webster Hall...
makes Saturday night or Sunday EITS timing look most likely. Really hoping for Saturday night.
In related news, just finished listening to Mogwai Young Team and Come on Die Young.
Maybe they're playing last show in one of the tents Thursday night?
i was gonna suggest that. with the placement they got im hopin for a night time thursday set(last or second to last in a tent)
This makes me a sad panda. As a HUGE fan of Mogwai, they deserve better than a Thursday set. I know that sounds arrogant, but Thursday has always been about up and coming bands, and they seem to receive slightly shorter set lengths. Mogwai have been active since 1997, thats 15 years. C'mon SP/ACE, do what is right. Give them a LN or a sunset set on Sunday ala EITS last year.
Last Edit: Feb 16, 2012 21:39:04 GMT -5 by Deleted - Back to Top
i was gonna suggest that. with the placement they got im hopin for a night time thursday set(last or second to last in a tent)
This makes me a sad panda. As a HUGE fan of Mogwai, they deserve better than a Thursday set. I know that sounds arrogant, but Thursday has always been about up and coming bands, and they seem to receive slightly shorter set lengths. Mogwai have been active since 1997, thats 15 years. C'mon SP/ACE, do what it right. Give them a LN or a sunset set on Sunday ala EITS last year.
i dont disagree with you on that. they deserved to be billed much higher. although something like Mogwai -> Little Dragon to close out a tent could be a pretty amazing way to end thursday night.
Last Edit: Feb 16, 2012 21:13:16 GMT -5 by shawnshawn - Back to Top
Always was GOING to start listening to them, but never actually did until I saw them on this year's lineup.
They're amazing. They are like the terrestrial complement to Sigur Ros' celestial being. I think they actually might be one of my Top 3 Must See acts for Roo, now.
Last Edit: Mar 2, 2012 23:53:00 GMT -5 by jmk - Back to Top
Can't believe there isn't more talk/hype about Mogwai. Seriously this is a tremendous "get" for Bonnaroo. This will be one of the best sets of the fest, mark my words. I'm just gonna paste this from the "Tell us about the lineup" thread. This needs more love.
Mogwai
Bio
Mogwai are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), John Cummings (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesiser, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drum kit). The band typically compose lengthy guitar-based instrumental pieces that feature dynamic contrast, melodic bass guitar lines, and heavy use of distortion and effects.
For those unfamiliar with "post-rock", its essentially instrumental rock that is very layered, emotional, and will display large fluctuations in volume, complexity and intensity throughout a song.
Musical Style
Their style has been influenced by bands including MC5, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and post-rock pioneers Slint. During 2004, the band supported tours by two major influences, Pixies and The Cure. Mogwai's style has easily identifiable connections to genres like shoegazing, math rock, art rock and occasionally instrumental metal. Debut album Mogwai Young Team was described as "stunningly dynamic...[shifting] seamlessly from tranquil, bleakly beautiful soundscapes to brain scrambling white noise and sledgehammer riffing". Douglas Wolk, writing for SPIN in 1999 said of the band: "Their compositions have gotten increasingly drawn-out and austere over time, sometimes barely more than a single arpeggiated chord or two evolving for ten minutes or more, whisperingly brutal in a way that recalls Slint more than any other band". Braithwaite has commented on the absence of lyrics in most of Mogwai's music, saying: "I think most people are not used to having no lyrics to focus on. Lyrics are a real comfort to some people. I guess they like to sing along and when they can't do that with us they can get a bit upset."
Discography
I've done my best to include as many live versions of the songs as I could find so that you may see and hear what you can expect from their upcoming Bonnaroo performance. Enjoy!
Mogwai Young Team
Recorded in 1997, it is largely instrumental, with one notable exception ("R U Still in 2 It", which features vocals, although many songs feature recordings of various individuals speaking, whether over the phone ("Tracy"), reading ("Yes! I Am a Long Way from Home"), or just rambling ("Katrien").
It features limited instrumentation, consisting mainly of guitar, bass and drums, although other instruments can sometimes be heard throughout the album. The band had only written three of the songs before they entered the studio.
In my opinion, as well as others, this is their finest album to date.
Come On Die Young
Released in 1999, it is somewhat different from the rest of Mogwai's work because of its reserved tone. The album's second track, "Cody" is much more like a traditional pop song than most of the band's repertoire. Still slow and meandering, it features an uncharacteristically distinct melody, slide guitar and relatively prominent vocals. Much of Come On Die Young consists of slow, quiet, drum-driven tracks containing tense, feedback-laden crescendos and occasionally ambient textures. Near the end of the album, the bombastic "Christmas Steps" breaks away from this quiet tension and displays a return to Mogwai's more well-known distortion-heavy dynamics. The album's title derives from a Glasgow gang of the same name.
Rock Action
Released in 2001, Rock Action brought with it some changes to Mogwai's sound that they would continue to develop later, including the use of electronic instruments. While song structures on this album are typical of the band in most cases and respects, some of the contrasting dynamics have been toned down slightly and many of the songs focus more on texture than on structure. For the first time, Mogwai utilised synthesizers, expanding their timbral palette. The single "Dial: Revenge" fills much the same role that "Cody" did on Come on Die Young. The tone of Rock Action is somewhat less dark than previous works, but maintains Mogwai's cryptic cynicism.
Happy Songs for Happy People
Released in 2003, Happy Songs for Happy People is the fourth full-length studio album by Mogwai. It represents a further evolution of Mogwai's toned down, more electronic sound. The songs on the album are subdued, with the only exceptions being the towering "Ratts of the Capital," and cacophonous closer "Stop Coming to My House". Synthesizers often take the main stage on this album, with strings and piano also making the occasional appearance. Mogwai's usual vocalist Stuart Braithwaite does not sing on this album at all; however, Barry Burns ("Hunted by a Freak", "Killing All the Flies") and John Cummings ("Boring Machines Disturbs Sleep") do. It was the first Mogwai album to appear in the US charts, spending one week on the Billboard 200 at #182.
Mr Beast
The album Mr Beast was released in 2006. Drummer Martin Bulloch describes it as “ ...the best record we've made since Mogwai Young Team.” The album's title stemmed from an incident where Barry Burns and Dominic Aitchison landed in Florida to start a tour with The Cure in 2005, when they saw a taxi driver standing outside the airport holding a sign that said "Mr. and Mrs. Beast" which, after a 10-hour flight, was "funnier than life itself".
The Hawk is Howling
Released in 2008, It is their first album to feature exclusively instrumental songs, since their earlier albums all have had vocals (singing or spoken word) on some tracks. This is from Pitchfork: Mogwai's new album, The Hawk Is Howling, is the next iteration of the sound that began with Happy Songs. You get a handful of abbreviated heavy tracks, an equitable batch of somnolent drifts, and the occasional suggestive-of-the-future curveball. Just like 2006's Mr. Beast, Hawk follows an unevenly stacked 10-song structure, opening with a stately piano build ("Auto Rock" versus "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead"), a ferocious follow ("Glasgow Mega-Snake" versus "Batcat"), and a drifting reverie ("Acid Food" versus "Danphe and the Brain") before allowing the middle sag into vacuity. The last three tracks of both records form suites of sorts: Track eight offers a hint of menace, which is reined in on a gentle follow-up before the closer amplifies it all. It's a sensible strategy, and The Hawk Is Howling is ultimately listenable, understandable, and vaguely likable. Like the songs that shape it, though, the album just feels redundant and tenuous, like the last empty cloud trailing behind a fierce storm.
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Released in 2011, this is an excerpt from Rolling Stone: Of all the great Nineties guitar bands, Mogwai might be the one fighting hardest to keep the decade's anything-goes spirit alive. The Glasgow space-rockers have never lost their faith in ear-bleeding noise. On their superbly titled seventh album, they go for epic guitar savagery, weaving feedback with melody in the majestic surge of "You're Lionel Richie." They mess with keyboards on tracks like "How to Be a Werewolf," exploring the jagged electro grooves of groups like Neu! and Stereolab. Every band should mature like the Mogwai lads: still inventive, still challenging themselves and still insanely loud.
Sources: Wikipedia, youtube, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone