Special Moves

This is the album edition of Mogwai's new live release; Special Moves, featuring eleven tracks recorded over the course of a three-night residency at Brooklyn's Music Hall Of Williamsburg. Selecting cuts from right across the Glaswegian band's catalogue, Special Moves functions as a pretty impressive greatest hits package, but with the added bonus of capturing this band's considerable presence as a live entity. The recording quality is ever bit as great as it needs to be, delivering the chilly, bell-like tones of 'Cody' with absolute clarity, while 'Hunted By A Freak' and the punishing 'Glasgow Megasnake' sound utterly visceral. One of the album's finest moments comes when long-standing favourite 'Like Herod' dips into a broody lull three minutes or so in, only for the band to erupt with one of their all-time most memorable riffs. The dynamics on this concert rendition are possibly even more dramatic than on the studio original, shifting from pin-drop quietness to booming heaviness with a tightness that most band's could only dream of. If you've forgotten just how powerful and unique Mogwai are, Special Moves is a great refresher course.