Customer Reviews

Special Moves

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mogwai releases its first live album, and it's a can't miss. The album also comes with a DVD as a bonus.

Special Moves (the CD) is excellent overall. The quality of the recording is remarkably better than most concert albums. Mogwai's selection of songs here are great too, with works spanning their entire career. The only drawback in my opinion, is the absence of The Sun Smells Too Loud. A live version of that song would have been amazing.

Burning (the DVD) is also exemplary, and unlike most concert films. It has a unique look for sure. Shot all in black and white, with dark shadowy performance footage and street scenes thrown in between songs. It's not unlike the film that was on the Hawk is Howling's bonus DVD. The only extra feature on the DVD is another performance of Mogwai Fear Satan, at another venue. The DVD's content runtime is only a little under an hour.

The CD/DVD package also comes with an access code that allows the download of six bonus songs.

This is a must-own for any Mogwai fan. I'd even say it would be perfect for introducing someone to the band.

This CD/DVD combo is nothing less than a present for Mogwai fans. It's an absolutely brilliant live album (Special Moves) with an excellent concert DVD (Burning), and as a bonus 6 additional downloadable live tracks.

The "Burning" DVD is shot entirely in black and white, sometimes grainy, sometimes very clear, showing a Mogwai concert in Brooklyn. There are occasional shots of the city, and some takes of the (entranced) audience, but most of the movie focuses on the band on stage. If you've seen Mogwai live, you know what to expect from their shows - and this movie portrays it in all its beauty. For me the highlight of the DVD is a glorious version of "Hunted by a Freak". There's also a blistering version of "Mogwai Fear Satan" that must have been something like a religious experience for the audience. You'll only get a snipped of "Like Herod" in the DVD, but fear not as the entire 10 minute version can be heard on the CD. If I have one minor complaint about the DVD, it's that it wasn't divided in DVD chapters, so it's impossible to skip forward or back to a specific song. Not a big deal, but it would have been a nice touch.

The "Special Moves" CD contains live versions of songs from almost all of the band's studio albums - there's nothing from the "Zidane" soundtrack or the "Ten Rapid" compilation, but every other album is represented. If you take the DVD, CD and bonus tracks together, you'll find that song selection leans heavily towards the band's latest album "The Hawk is Howling", but since that's an excellent album I have absolutely no problem with this. The audio quality is great. I simply can't find anything wrong with this album, and although I own the "Government Commissions" live album, and there are tons of live performances by Mogwai on YouTube, I think I'll be coming back to "Special Moves" very often.

To put the icing on the cake, you also get six additional downloadable tracks with this bundle. At the time I write this, this CD/DVD combo plus 6 downloads is on sale for a grand total of $12.99 on Amazon (though the price may have changed by the time you read this). I'd say this is practically a must-buy for any Mogwai fan. Do yourself a favor, support the band you love, and buy a copy of this thing.

To be fair, this could be my system, but I doubt it. CD is 5 stars, DVD is 3 stars.

Anyhow, the drums on the DVD are mixed fairly low in the mix, which robs us a bit of Martin Bulloch's genius. Doesn't seem to be a problem on the CD tracks, luckily.

Can't say much more. Having seen them a few times in concert, I can report that the CD is a faithful testament to the power of Mogwai in concert (well, as long as you crank the volume to envelope you in waves of sound). Can't say they are in my top ten of all-time bands (not that far off though), BUT they are definitely in my top 3 of all-time live experiences. ATP 2008 was transcendent. The sound overwhelms, coats and devours your mind. It's a beautiful, almost zen experience.

Having seen Mogwai live numerous times--and several times walking out feeling like I was having a stroke due to the extreme volume and lights--I was dubious that a movie could convey the experience of seeing these guys live. This one does about as well as could be expected. The grainy, high contrast, black and white, quick cuts, and wobbly camera create the same sense of disorientation you feel at the live shows. I recommend sitting about 6 inches from the screen, putting on a pair of headphones, and cranking the volume to 11.