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| Urb |
 Whereas Trent Reznor and his Nine Inch Nails serve as guide dogs for walks through the blindness of general psychosis (or the gratifying ascent from within it)--Mogwai excel as topographers for the complex Scottish psyche. Which is to say, a state of mind cultivated on the whiskey and ale soaked Sauchiehall Street--replete with conversations people have in early morning hours or the general wordless frustrations of staring into dawn after a night of pointless drinking. Whereas Reznor's recent forays into instrumental work have received criticism for length and lack of direction, Mogwai have spent nearly 15 years perfecting the art, composing an LP of aptly directional noise. Listening is almost as good as treading their turf (which is good, because with today's airfares, it's probably the closest you'll get to reproducing the sensation of Scottish travel). The Hawk is Howling is Mogwai at its best. Slow rolling like a shadow on a Scottish summer day, it's the music for impending darkness. Compelling in every sense of the word....full text |
| Allmusic |
| With each album, Mogwai discovers new ways of balancing the power and subtlety of their music. On The Hawk Is Howling, the band returns to its roots, working with producer Andy Miller for the first time in a decade and delivering its first set of completely instrumental songs in several albums' time. This is the most massive Mogwai's music has felt in quite awhile — and for a band that turns in expansive pieces as regularly as they do, that's saying something. "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead" opens the album with shades of Mr. Beast's sparkling beauty, but it uses every second of its nearly seven minutes to more climactic effect than the previous album's subdued approach: beginning with intertwining pianos and keyboards, it teeters on the edge between beautiful and ominous, ratcheting up the tension until the song finally dies out with a violin that bleeds into feedback. That still doesn't quite prepare listeners for the wallop that "Batcat" — which is The Hawk Is Howling's lead single — packs. It's no secret that Mogwai loves metal and has never shied away from heaviness in their own music, but even their most churning workouts seemed to hover; "Batcat" hits the ground hard, and with a blunter impact, than any of their previous guitar workouts....full text |
| Guardian |
| Though devoid of lyrics, Mogwai's sixth album has an unspoken poetry. Whereas the music of acts such as Sigur Rós is evocative of majestic, impersonal icescapes, Mogwai release raw emotion in a remarkably precise way. Masters at building tension upon tension then gently letting it go, their cyclical instrumentals are both sorrowful and consoling....full text |
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