A memo from Mogwai, live in Malaysia

I’ve been to many concerts, but almost never in a condition like this. I had plenty of chance to do so but I always believed that music, real artistic brilliance, must be listened to a conscious state of my mind.

But tonight I broke my own rule for the sake of experiencing what it’s like when your mind is in outer space. So I smoked a joint and I took the plunge.

Mogwai’s first venture onto stage was time-stopping. As the first notes were plucked I felt instantly the call of rhythm, pulsating deep within me. And as those first notes build to a mighty crescendo, I felt billions of sensation imploding in me, and here is the summary.

Amidst yellow, red, white lights and puffy smoke, I saw things.

I saw how a human life can be so beautiful, as they chug their way through the limited passage of time. I saw a young man tossing his mortar board into the sky, happy faces, full of dreams and fear of the unknown.

I envisioned a young couple embracing, feeling each other as they let the feeling of nuptial reunion sink into their bones.

As these thoughts penetrate my head, Mogwai was gleefully playing to my emotions. As they brought the thunderous music down to a whimper, serenity fell onto me.

All is good. All is beautiful.

The village by the shore with the cautious breeze blowing by, the golden hue of lush, daffodil meadows displayed before your sight, arranged neatly in a geographically precise position, the sound of the waves gently crashing against century-old rocks. In that feeling however, I could not help but feel the coming of an impending doom. As if this is the calm before the storm.

I anticipate…………the soft music continues…….I anticipate……Oh, how it teases…….I anticipate……and then just as the anticipation slowly began to fade, the lightning crashed! All instruments merged! In a thunderous galore!

As Mogwai let loose the fury, my serenity was shattered. All of a sudden, I see a great volcano eruption. I see Ragnarok – the last battle of the gods. I see a doomsday earthquake attack right in front of me. I see the most powerful rain pour down, as if this is the very rain that will tear down the might of Noah’s Arc.

It was……magic.

When you mention post-rock, I shamelessly admit my biasness. My love for Sigur Ros is unrivalled. But Mogwai tonight, they shaked that Berlin wall of a fortress. Not enough to tear it down, but sufficient to cause a ripple.

It was a blissful night. A riveting performance.

Mogwai were flawless and I, stood in complete awe.

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Here’s the complete set list

# the precipice
# scotland’s shame
# friend of the night
# i love you, i’m going to blow up your school
# hunted by a freak
# mogwai fear satan
# i’m jim morrison, i’m dead
# christmas steps
# i know you are but what am i?
# thank you space expert
# helicon 1
# 2 rights make 1 wrong

encore:
# like herod
# batcat

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// A memo (review if you like) of my night with Mogwai, Live in KL, 21st January 2009//

Scotland’s Shameless

I like how subjective Post Rock can be. You can put them all under the same category, yet when you listen to them, differnet kinds of emotions burst in between the notes.

Whenever I listen to Sigur Ros, I am constantly reminded of how Iceland is. Although technically I have not been to the country, yet every song I hear from them, I could see different sides of Iceland. The hippity-hoppity Hoppípolla that makes you see the first light touch the cold town. How the warmth brings brand new light into your life like another year’s Christmas morning. The thoughtful Samskeyti that reminds you of those long lonely drives back home, when you could only see as far as the headlights could, illuminating the snowflakes running at you like tiny kisses from Heaven. The peaceful Fljótavik, which if the song is all that is made up to be, the very town in Iceland would be as comforting and beautiful. Sigur Ros just makes Iceland an imaginary place you would want to be to cure your broken soul.

Aptly named, Explosions in the Sky is like fireworks displays you see on Independance Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and all the other festivals that give you a reason to set off the fireworks. There is a forming pattern of a different kind of story in every song I listen to. The questionable What Do You Go Home To? that accompanies you on that doubtful plane ride home, as you wonder is it the right choice to leave or is it all just a big mistake. The romantic The Only Moment We Were Alone that is like a guardian angel press up against you on that lonely train ride, and the moment you grasp for a hand you could smile because you thought you felt someone squeezing back. With Explosions in the Sky I see worlds in both Heaven and earth.

And then there is Mogwai. With every song I listen, I feel like I am walking down the dingy back alley of downtown Los Angeles. It is like a perfect picture from a vampiric romance film. All I see is a family couch sawed in two and a beggar sleeping behind it under his hope of a cardbox home, puddles of sewage water dripping off rusted pipes and fire escapes. I feel like if I stand there long enough, I might either get mugged or I might as well just grab a broken pipe and slit my wrist. Happy Songs for Happy People, no not at all. In Hawk is Howling, it is a bloody massacre from the draggy I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead, right to the last of The Precipice. It may seem hopeful at least in The Sun Smells Too Loud and Thank You Space Expert, but that is probably the bright light you see before crossing over.

I leave you here with my favourite song by Mogwai, I Know You Are But What Am I? Download it HERE and watch the video down there.

And if you have been living under the rock for a while, Mogwai is stopping by Malaysia on January 21 and Singapore on January 23. Get your tickets now to see them perform live. God save us all.