Album Review: Mogwai - Atomic

Atomic is Mogwai's third soundtrack, this time for a feature-length documentary decrying nuclear technology.

Perhaps it's the retro-futuristic angle of the doco's subject matter, but there's an increasing prevalence of electronic instruments, notably the twinkling harp noises on the optimistic opener Ether. Sounding like they've taken tips from former tour-buddies Fuck Buttons, Mogwai have failed to replicate their edginess and lost their trademark heaviness. This might have been "one of the most intense and fulfilling projects [they've] taken on", according to band leader Stuart Braithwaite, but there is no proof of that in this pudding.