Pitchfork

According to Matador Records' website, Mogwai "are set to release their most extreme record to date." An outlandish claim, considering that their latest full-length, Rock Action, is arguably the most unchallenging record of their career. At the same time, it's undeniable that Mogwai have committed some pretty "extreme" music to tape-- Young Team, Ten Rapid and EP+2 being stellar examples.

The new record-- technically, a single-- will consist of only one song: a cover of the traditional Jewish hymn, "My Father, My King," which clocks past the 20-minute mark. It is described as "two parts beautiful serenity and one part death metal." The track was recorded more than a year ago with Steve Albini at the production helm, and was intended to see release on the forthcoming album by hip-hop producer Arthur Baker. However, the song has recently become a staple of Mogwai's live set, and with Baker's legendarily glacial recording pace, they've decided to go this route instead. The single is slated for an October 23rd release through Matador.

Mogwai collectors will also be pleased to know that a singles compilation was just issued in the UK yesterday via Chemikal Underground Records. The record, titled EP+6 collects the band's three EPs: 4 Satin, Fuck the Curfew, and EP+2. It also includes an enhanced CD-ROM portion that includes the band's "Stanley Kubrick" video and a screensaver. There are no plans for a US release.

In equally interesting Mogwai news, Take Me Somewhere Nice, an hour-long documentary on the band, premiered at the Doclands Festival in Dublin on Sunday. The film was directed and edited by Berny McGurk, and blends live footage with on-the-road tour bus antics ranging from the Reykjavik show last March through their recent US tour in June. A separate 11-minute Mogwai documentary will also be touring with HI-QI, a music film festival which is currently kicking up dust all across the USA. The festival also includes films on Radiohead, Bob Marley, Orbital, and New Order. If only they could've gotten Afroman to stand in front of a camera and pose for a couple of hours. Gosh, he's dreamy.

Oh, and then there's Mogwai's upcoming tour, which will carry them all over the wonderful continent of Europe. Although an opening band has not yet been announced, they do intend to bring some other group of misfits along for the ride. For those of you living in the United States, November might be a good time to book your first trip to Europe:

11-02 Bristol, UK - University Anson Rooms
11-03 Wolverhampton, UK - Wulfrum Hall
11-04 Leeds, UK - Metropolitan University
11-06 Belfast, UK - Queens Hall
11-07 Dublin, UK - Olympia
11-08 Glasgow, UK - Barrowlands
11-09 Liverpool, UK - L2
11-10 London, UK - Brixton Academy
11-13 Lille, FRA - Aeronef
11-14 Rennes, FRA - La Cite
11-15 Angouleme, FRA - La Nef
11-16 Bordeaux, FRA - Theatre Barbey
11-17 Toulouse, FRA - Bikini
11-19 Koeln, GER - Live Music Hall
11-20 Brussels, BEL - Ancienne Belgique
11-21 Amsterdam, NET - Paradiso
11-22 Hamburg, GER - Grosse Freiheit
11-24 Oslo, NOR - Rockefeller
11-25 Copenhagen, DEN - Vega
11-26 Berlin, GER - Columbiafritz
11-27 Munich, GER - Metropolis
11-28 Fribourg, SWI - Frison
11-30 Barcelona, SPA - Pop Attack Festival
12-01 Madrid, SPA - La Riviera
12-02 San Sebastian, SPA - Gaztescena
12-04 Milan, ITA - Magazinni Generali
12-05 Florence, ITA - Tenax
12-06 Treviso, ITA - New Age
12-07 Luxembourg - Atelier

* Skyaking: a new extreme sport in which people jump out of planes in kayaks, and kind of boat around in the air for a while until releasing their parachutes, and finally landing upright in a lake, river, or ocean. We are not making this up. It was on Real TV!