film review: Mogwai - Burning (+ screening dates!)

It takes a special brand of musician to release a live album. Mogwai not only meet all of the standards necessary, but pour forth their guitar heavy brand of post rock from the very beginning of the film. No introduction, no credits; they let the music speak for itself.

And it does.

With levels of blissful distortion unparalleled this side of White Light, White Heat, the viewer gets their first “break” from the music 16 minutes into Burning. Aptly titled, the film and accompanying live album, Special Moves, document the band’s stirring 2009 live performance in Brooklyn. The live film is the band’s first and was directed by Vincent Moon and Nathanael Le Scouarnac, the same brilliant minds behind La Blogotheque’s Take Away Shows. It’s a haunting spectacle—not solely because of the ethereal yet turbulent music which refuses to be contained by the venue itself—or the ominous black and white aesthetic, but also because of the delicate interplay of the Scottish band’s traverse in the hardy city, followed by their explosive feeds into the amps on stage. The camera’s constant fluctuation between the streets of Williamsburg and the concert stage results in a dazzling accentuation of everything, from the graffiti to the blinding lights on stage. It’s comforting to be reminded that even though bands like Mogwai often go without widespread fame or fortune, their fellow artistic innovators can be counted on to hold a candle recognizing their achievements.

Burning drops on 24 August, buy it HERE

Mogwai - New Paths to Helicon Pt. 1 [mp3]

The film will be screening at San Francisco’s Roxie Theatre on Saturday 4 September at 11PM. tickets are $10 and can be purchased HERE.

not in SF? here's a complete list of cities screening the film

08/21 ORLANDO, FL Park Ave CDs

08/23 SEATTLE, WA Northwest Film Forum

08/23 DALLAS, TX Good Records

08/24 BROOKLYN, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg

08/24 VANCOUVER, BC Pacific Cinematheque

08/26 CAMBRIDGE, MA Brattle Theater

08/28 LONG BEACH, CA Art Theater of Long Beach

08/29 CHICAGO, IL Smart Bar

09/02 PONTIAC, MI The Crofoot

09/04 SAN FRANCISCO, CA Roxie Theater

09/10 PORTLAND, OR Bagdad Theater

09/10 NEW YORK, NY Metropolitan Museum of Art

09/12 LOS ANGELES, CA Echoplex

09/14 TORONTO, ON The Underground - The Drake Hotel (10:30pm)

09/14 TORONTO, ON The Underground - The Drake Hotel (11:55pm)

09/23 DENVER, CO Bluebird Theater

10/03 MONTREAL, QC Ukranian Federation