New : Mogwai - 'Rave Tapes'

They're on a rare run of form right now Mogwai, dropping LPs like stealth bombs every few months to keep their stock as high as it's been since the late 90s - having tinkered away under the radar for much of the noughties they've gradually risen to the top again with a series of remixes, soundtracks and expansive new material to become one of Scottish indie's most dependable entities. You'd expect most bands to have fallen into a road-honed groove of soundalike material by this point in their careers but these boys have retained a flair for contemplative miasma and inventive head-fuckery through into their creative middle age and in today's world of soundscapes over songs they're well poised to enjoy the most lucrative period of their career. Not that such a band of cantankerous Glaswegians would care about such things of course - they've always regarded mainstream success with a mixture of confusion and disgust and 'Rave Tapes' providing them with a surprise top ten entry in the UK album charts a couple of weeks back probably didn't even raise a smile. But that's the Mogwai I like - there's always been two sides to this band, the brittle introverted side that sees them produce gorgeous passages of melancholy that ATP couples bump uglies to and the cynical, mischievous side that leads them to belch out teeth-rattling barrages of unnerving noise to ensure the listener doesn't get too comfortable. 'Rave Tapes' is in the latter camp, leering menacingly across shuddering slabs of electronica-tinged space rock like a distant cousin to 1999's apocalyptic frenzy 'Come On Die Young' . Much will be made of their decision to incorporate synths into the mix but the fresh tangent is drafted in tastefully enough to be virtually inaudible - the brand of electronics they favour is drawn from the same waters inhabited by fellow Jock stalwarts Boards of Canada, a dark vaguely nightmarish documentary hum that heads off into resolutely undanceable territory. I was half hoping that the title would denote a shift towards the clattering Bus Stop Hardcore of Scottish 90s rave paragons QFX and The Time Frequency but it's perhaps no bad thing that they stayed closer to the graveyard for their musical inspiration, God alone knows what that monstrous hybrid would have sounded like. Their devilish sense of humour floats to the surface on the tweaked-out Kraftwerk clank of 'Simon Ferocious' and the pleasantly ominous 'Remurdered' circles around like a bad memory - you'll find yourself glaring at passers by if you listen to this on public transport. It's a rewarding listen for the most part although they do repeat their tricks on occasion - the spoken word Satanic dissection of Led Zep's 'Stairway to Heaven' on 'Repelish' sounds like a half baked idea left over from the 'CODY' sessions and closer 'The Lord Is Out Of Control' sounds like Daft Punk mourning the passing of their pet hamster. But overall 'Rave Tapes' is a reassuringly solid effort and one that they'll probably top before the year is out at the rate they're going - this isn't a band running out of steam, it's one that's striding fearlessly into the future.

Check out : 'Remurdered', night music from an Indian synthesiser graveyard.