For the uninitiated, Mogwai are a Scottish instrumental rock band (also sometimes classified as post-rock) hailing from Glasgow, Scotland.
Their formation in the late 90s took the world by storm with their first official studio album called Mogwai Young Team. It was a sonic journey unlike any other and the band developed a serious group of dedicated followers with it. Since that album in 1997, they've gone on to create 9 more studio albums and 9 soundtracks for various film and TV series.
In 2021, the band released their 10th studio album (As The Love Continues) and had recorded it remotely in London while the producer for the album was several hours behind them in New York.
Like everything at the time, virtual was the new foundation and Mogwai were no different in trying to conquer a mountain when the world was in a state of upheaval due to COVID-19.
In a crazy aligning-of-the-stars moment, As The Love Continues was the #1 album in the UK the week of its release.
The #1 spot was highly welcomed by the fans of the band who've known for years that the group deserved it. And although the documentary was meant to tour us through the creation of the album and to the penultimate event of performing in their hometown in Glasgow for the first time in 2 years (in November 2021), it has become so much more than that.
The documentary informs us at the beginning that we are going on a journey. The destination may be where we think we're heading, but the road to it is certainly windy and requires patience.
Roping in producers and crew from the beginning of Mogwai's formation and through Mogwai Young Team and Come On Die Young (their 2nd studio album), the documentary paints the picture of how As The Love Continues was even possible to do remotely because of those cornerstones during the band's formative years.
The film takes us through the creation of several Mogwai songs as well, and not just from As The Love Continues. The beauty of this film lies in the heart of why the band keep doing what they do: for the music. For the fans. For the emotions that can only be expressed through their music. Terrible heartache, immense joy, pensive reflections, and shirt-shredding guitars. That's Mogwai.
Antony Crook and co. Have done not just a brilliant job of making a film about Glasgow's finest musicians, but also illuminating to the rest of the world just how the culture of Scotland, its rich history and unique outlook have shaped not only Mogwai's experiences, but our own through their music.
The film does show us how As The Love Continues was "made" and does a good job of sprinkling it throughout the film, reminding us that their #1 album wouldn't have been possible if not for the hard work during the decades prior to it. It can't be stated enough just how much the world that so desperately yearned for light at the end of the COVID tunnel hung onto it and helped to catapult it into something entirely different.
Funny, because this documentary has a similar vibe that when it started it perhaps was meant to be a linear journey, but along the path of life we all discover there are many nonlinear chapters that we are forced into (like COVID), and sometimes those paths have results that are catastrophic.
The stories from this film are not just those from the band, but from those who have helped guide the band over the years as well as many who have been influenced by their music, while sometimes illuminating those intersecting paths.
There's something in this film for everyone - those who have yet to discover Mogwai, those who have been a casual fan for a period of time, and those who have been hardcore fans for any period of time.
The film is worth checking out for anyone who has an immense appreciation of how powerful music can be without many (or any) words. It's worth the wait and even sweeter for those who have followed this amazing band for years.
