Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home (1997)

‘If someone said that Mogwai are the stars, I would not object,’ claims a woman at the start of this opening track for the band’s debut, Young Team. Its hubris may be tongue-in-cheek but they more than justify it with guitars that seem to rise from the earth to the stratosphere.

Like Herod (1997)

Doom metal lies at the core of Stuart Braithwaite and co’s sound, harnessing its moody energy to reflect the dark soul of Scotland. ‘Like Herod’ is the apotheosis of the heavier end of their sound on Young Team, moving from a soupy bassline to a fleg-inducing crescendo of distortion-fuelled satanism.

Tracy (1997)

Every music journo under the sun can harp on about the noise terrorism of Young Team, but it doesn’t quite acknowledge this masterpiece’s chilly vulnerability. ‘Tracy’ uses a bass guitar and glockenspiel as its lead instruments, toying with a spare and soft dynamic. 

Christmas Steps (1999)

A ten-minute trek through gloomy post-rock with brief glimmers of psychedelia, the loping bassline and attack-and-retreat structure conjure a vast drama which threatens to unspool into chaos. Bracing and unapologetically miserable, it’s also the most ambitious track from Come On Die Young.

Hunted By A Freak (2003)

The most successful early foray into vocoder vocals (from Barry Burns) provided a new and haunting texture for album Happy Songs For Happy People, offering the richness of melody without the burdensome specificity of discernible lyrics. 

I Know You Are But What Am I? (2003)

A piano-led piece from Happy Songs For Happy People marks another entry in their move from hardcore to sadcore. With shades similar to Nine Inch Nails’ Ghosts I–IV, it turns a simple chord progression into an epic story. 

Glasgow Mega-Snake (2006)

Praying at the altar of rock on Mr Beast helped produce this frantic and lean guitar punch-up which is drenched in adrenaline-inducing menace, as though the huge serpent itself is in hot pursuit of its next victim. 

Wake Up And Go Beserk (2006)

The first film score written by Mogwai was Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, Douglas Gordon’s documentary which captures a match between Real Madrid and Villareal from the perspective of Zinedine Zidane. Ethereal in scope, ‘Wake Up And Go Beserk’ does for football what Popol Vuh did for ski jumping.

Rano Pano (2011)

Fulfilling the promise of album title Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, ‘Rano Pano’ is emblematic of the mid-tempo banger that crops up on every Mogwai record, offering an entry point into post-rock while they expand their musical canvas into skittering synthetics. 

This Messiah Needs Watching (2012)

The last decade-plus of Mogwai’s career has been dominated by work for both indie films and prestige television shows such as ZeroZeroZero and Black Bird. Taken from their score for French drama series Les Revenants, ‘This Messiah Needs Watching’ is a testament to their mastery of synths, evoking a subdued stalking through foggy nights. Spare, foreboding and, more importantly, casting a thousand spectres in your mind’s eye.

Teenage Exorcists (2014)

Every rule can be broken if the tune’s good enough, and that’s the case here in this shoegaze stomper from the Music Industry 3 Fitness Industry 1 EP. The result is like Mogwai from an alternative dimension, one where they had more interest in storming the indie charts than perfecting eight-minute mood pieces.

Ether (2016)

A score for Mark Cousins’ Atomic is arguably their film project that works best as a standalone album, and ‘Ether’ is its most rousing track. Rammed with ornate trumpets and enough pomp to wake Elgar from the dead, it’s a steady climb towards shimmering beauty. 

Ritchie Sacramento (2021)

A major hit of the coronavirus era, this lead single from As The Love Continues marked the start of the ‘Gwainaissance, earning them a swathe of new fans and a resurgence of critical recognition. It’s as epic as anything they’ve made, bathed in a melancholic bombast that (whether they intended to or not) spoke to the chaos of a world falling apart. 

To The Bin My Friend, Tonight We Vacate Earth (2021)

We’re not highlighting this one because of the song (marvellous though it is) but to mention that Mogwai have never shied away from humour. Joining this in the mordantly funny song-title category is ‘George Square Thatcher Death Party’, ‘I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead’ and ‘Punk Rock/Puff Daddy/Antichrist’.

Ceiling Granny (2021)

A love of 90s grunge is eternal for Mogwai. This cut from As The Love Continues feels like an ode to that era, merging elements of Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins in a swell of uncomplicated good vibes. 

God Gets You Back (2025)

The first single from the band’s latest album, The Bad Fire, is an invigorating statement that the ‘Gwai have more juice in the tank than ever, flitting from cold John Carpenter-ish synths to an insistent guitar section and vocoded vocals. Delicate, propulsive and filled with promise for what’s to come. 

The Bad Fire is out now on Rock Action; thanks and sincere apologies to Rob Harvilla whose excellent podcast 60 Songs That Explain The 90s ‘inspired’ the headline for this feature; main picture: Steve Gullick.