It's been nearly 15 years since Mogwai released a full album of remixes. When the young Scottish post-rockers released Kicking a Dead Pig in 1998, their debut full-length, Young Team, was barely a year old. Since that time, Mogwai have recorded six studio albums and a slew of EPs, shifting their focus from loud-quiet-loud guitarmonies to synthesizer-laden soundscapes and brazenly distorted epics. Adapted from 2011's Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, as far as remix albums go, A Wrenched Virile Lore is a strong collection of IDM-heavy reimaginings, stripping away Mogwai's dense atmospherics in favour of pulsating synths and polyrhythmic drum machines. Zombi's remix of the slow-burning "Letters to the Metro" sounds like it would be right at home on a Nicholas Winding Refn soundtrack, while the Soft Moon's reinterpretation of the blistering "San Pedro" morphs into something straight out of Sonic Youth's back catalogue. As with most remix collections, sometimes the most synthesizer-based explorations end up being documented more than once. Klad Hest's seven-minute-plus "Mogwai is My Dick RMX" converts the raging "Rano Pano" into a Final Fantasy soundtrack sculpted by Aphex Twin, while Tim Hecker's straightforward audio crackle uncovers the minimalist heartbeat of the song. Although it may not be essential listening for Mogwai fans, A Wrenched Virile Lore's recontextualized tracks certainly allow for greater appreciation of one of the band's best albums in years. (Sub Pop)
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