Kids Will Be Skeletons (the Mogwai thread)

[diesel]

just read that guitarist john cummings quit. im wondering how this will change the dynamic of the band. was he a key songwriter? i picture this band as a sum of the parts kinda thing not individually driven.

[BurtReynolds]

just read that guitarist john cummings quit. im wondering how this will change the dynamic of the band. was he a key songwriter? i picture this band as a sum of the parts kinda thing not individually driven.

that sucks! I dont know much about their inner workings though. But I don't want any problems.

Kinda wish Central Belters offered at least one new song or rarity or something.

[nyquillyn]

I'm not too worried about it. From what I've gleaned from interviews and docs (like "Burning" and the behind the scenes vid that came with Mr Beast), Stuart is the main songwriter in Mogwai. I would imagine they may ask Luke Sutherland to join permanently.

[Brett]

They say they're continuing on as a four-piece. I think t2b is right in that Stuart's the main creative ember for the group, though I imagine it's more like he brings in a basic riff or framework and the band fills it in and builds it together. I'd imagine the loss of John would just mean a slightly more pared down or less beefy sound, and not any major change.

[diesel]

I'd imagine the loss of John would just mean a slightly more pared down or less beefy sound, and not any major change.

thats probably my biggest fear! i like that wall of distorted guitars that hits you in your gut when i see them live. I hope they can still do that when it's just keys/drums/bass/guitar

[bodysnatcher]

i think they'll be able to fill the void pretty well. but i'm also a huge fan of the quieter side of Mogwai, so it's a win-win for me.

moves like this can really ignite a new creative spark in bands. we'll see what happens

[Kevin Davis]

Studio shouldn't be a problem -- without knowing a great deal about John as an individual player, Stuart should be able to multi-track guitars until things sound full. Live I can't imagine they wouldn't need a temporary fill-in.

[Spirit Fingers]

Gauging from the times I've seen them live and live videos, I feel like John Cummings is probably the "metal" dude in the band. It makes sense for him to leave as they seem to be moving towards more synth and krautrock stylings. Barry Burns appears to be the driving force behind most of their recent releases.

[VinylGuy]

Well i hope this gives them a new directon too...im not a fan of the last album and i feel they need to step up and make some kind of difference.

[nyquillyn]

I know I'm in the minority here, but I'd be fine with another album with more of a "synth" feel to it. Although I don't think "Rave Tapes" was as "techno" as some people made it out to be.

[VinylGuy]

I would love something like that. Rave Tapes wasnt..

[Kevin Davis]

I'd love an album that explores more of the territory that "Remurdered" did. "Rave Tapes" would have been a lot stronger had that spirit of exploration carried across the whole album -- it tends to lag in the more Mogwai-by-numbers moments.

[BurtReynolds]

The last EP made up for Rave Tapes a bit.

[VinylGuy]

Yeah the ep was good. And yeah remurderer is a good path to carry.

[nyquillyn]

Seems weird that there's been no word on any kind of proper release for the soundtrack of Season 2 of Les Revenants. They recycled some stuff from Season 1, but there seemed to be enough new material for at least an EP.

[diesel]

new album - atomic. appears to be a soundtrack

http://pitchfork.com/news/62862-mogwai- ... are-u-235/

[nyquillyn]

Love that track!

[diesel]

Love that track!

i think its cool. maybe that's why the guitarist quit b/c the new album is more synth / electronic and doesn't have guitars? we'll see.

[bodysnatcher]

just picked up the color vinyl of Atomic. super stoked.

[nyquillyn]

Minor Victories is the supergroup of Slowdive's Rachel Goswell, Editors' Justin Lockey, Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite, and James Lockey of Hand Held Cine Club. The self-titled record is out June 3 on Fat Possum (US) and Play It Again Sam (worldwide). It'll feature Mark Kozelek's previously reported duet with Goswell, as well as a collaboration with the Twilight Sad's James Graham.

First official video.