Mogwai "Ether"

[Blackout]

I remember when Man Of Aran was first performed it was something of a surprise to many British Sea Power fans (not least this one), their then most recent album having been DYLRM which was probably their closest approach to mainstream indie rock. Lots of post-rock references abounded in conversations and reviews, with some parts (especially the Spearing The Sunfish section) summarised as "British Sea Power do Mogwai".

Earlier this year Mogwai released a soundtrack album to Mark Cousins' documentary "Atomic: Living in Dread and Promise" which they are currently touring, playing alongside the actual film. It's stunning: we went in Edinburgh on Sunday and it was so good I'm going to Coventry in a couple of weeks where they are playing it at the Cathedral (some of this forum's Cov contingent will be in attendance too, and tickets are still available if you wish to join us: http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/wps ... ay-atomic/ ) The album is fantastic in its own right, too.

The opening piece "Ether" stopped me in my tracks first time I heard it. It is unmistakeably Mogwai, albeit with the crashing guitars calmed a little and augmented by long-bowed strings and the lead melody rising and falling majestically. It sounds like British Sea Power.

It sounds like British Sea Power doing Mogwai.

I have heard it twice removed from the context of the album (or at least from the context of me having deliberately put a Mogwai record on or gone to see them perform). Once was a couple of months back over the PA in Hebden Trades waiting for 65daysofstatic to come on. The second was this morning at 6.55am c/o 6Music as my alarm radio eased me into the day. On both these occasions it's actually taken me a few seconds to work out which of the two bands it even was.....

Mogwai doing British Sea Power doing Mogwai.

Brilliant. It's like everything is circular.

[TheAlex]

You've piqued my interest, but I'm going to Norway on the 14th - actually thanks to a post-rock festival over there on the 23rd-24th. There's a band called We Stood Like Kings (who you may have heard) playing their soundtrack to a 1926 USSR film.

Now you mention it, Ether does have similarities to BSP.