Mogwai

Just like their counterparts Explosions in the Sky did with Friday Night Lights, Mogwai have taken to putting their cinematic music into the, uh, cinema. Accompanying a somewhat unorthodox take on the French soccer legend, done before the infamous World Cup head butt, the film in question uses many cameras to capture a game from Zidane’s point of view. But, you’re reading this for the music, and, although it’s missing Mogwai’s trademark ferocity, it is quite beautiful. "Terrific Speech 2” is a great, subdued take that recalls the recent forays into quieter domains on Rock Action and even Mr. Beast. The snappily titled "I Do Have Weapons” reeks of classic Mogwai and shouldn’t disappoint, except if you were looking for five minutes of guitar shredding rage. The problem with this entire soundtrack is that the beauty of Mogwai’s previous music was the imaginary film that came along with their songs. Different chords meant different memories and no two people would ever think of the same image in regards to the same Mogwai song. Yet, now, all I can think about is a sweaty, slow motion Zidane. Every single layered guitar chord and reverb-heavy drum brush brings up more and more images of Zidane. So, yes, it’s beautiful, but the context ruins the wonder and surprise of why we love Mogwai.