There is an early moment in Mogwai: If the Stars Had a Sound when John Peel, the esteemed BBC presenter, is quoted as saying he never thought Mogwai would gain wide acclaim. Peel made this remark as a diehard fan, and his assessment seems fair. Long an exemplar of the post-rock genre, Mogwai specialize in cerebral and frequently epic instrumental compositions that reveal little about the band members or what motivates their ambition. It’s the music that matters, not the personae or scene that surrounds them.
Despite the late Peel’s assessment, the group have achieved global adoration over the past three decades. (I’m sure Peel would be delighted.) Since their founding in Glasgow in 1995, they have released 11 studio albums, their most recent being the excellent The Bad Fire from this past January. They have also recorded or contributed to nine soundtracks and have issued several live albums. Mogwai have become remarkably prolific while also maintaining their cult status.
If the Stars Had a Sound, directed by Antony Crook, aims to unpack Mogwai’s inscrutable nature. The results are somewhat mixed, perhaps unsurprising given the band’s elusiveness. With extensive B-roll footage of Glasgow and heavy use of voice-over, Crook appears intent on emulating the atmosphere of Mogwai’s music with its inward gaze and attention to mood over any direct exposition. This cinematic approach may divide viewers.
Filled with requisite concert footage and interviews with various fans and associates, Crook diligently puts together a set of voices and perspectives to understand the origins of Mogwai and the group’s evolution over time. Moving chronologically, Paul Savage, the producer of their 1997 debut, Young Team (also known as Mogwai Young Team), and later David Fridmann, the producer of Come on Die Young (1999) and Rock Action (2001), are among the band’s associates who are consulted. Their commentary reveals the consistent focus and disciplined preparation of Stuart Braithwaite (guitars, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass, keyboards), Martin Bulloch (drums), and Barry Burns (guitar, keyboards, vocals) during recording sessions.
There are additional interviews with prominent figures in Scotland, namely the conceptual video artist Douglas Gordon and the writer Ian Rankin. Gordon, known for works like 24 Hour Psycho (1993) and who won the Turner Prize in 1996, describes Mogwai as “sweet soul music from Scotland” with contrasting elements of darkness and light. As a crime novelist, Rankin similarly argues for the binary oppositions in Mogwai’s oeuvre. Their music brings warring extremes together, meeting in what Rankin calls the “Scottish Antisyzygy”, which he draws from the poet Hugh MacDiarmid. Their comments underscore the reach and influence they have had on other artists.
Still, even with these insights and interpretations, the music of Mogwai remains elusive in terms of its origins and making. A section of If the Stars Had a Sound dwells on their soundtrack for the film Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (2006) about the star French football player. Another section discusses how the band’s 20-minute-plus song “My Father My King” is based on “Avinu Malkeinu”, a Jewish prayer recited at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These moments of deeper understanding are fleeting, however.
A key limitation of If the Stars Had a Sound is that the members of Mogwai are not interviewed directly. There are clips of interviews filmed by others elsewhere, and there is footage of the band rehearsing. Yet, there is no sustained conversation with the group in this film. An added factor is that If the Stars Had a Sound appears to have been shot mainly during the pandemic. Face masks seem nearly omnipresent. While this timing is unfortunate and leaves questions about why filming couldn’t be postponed, the net effect is that there is a feeling of absence in the film, with the group less involved than one would hope.
Crook takes a somewhat unusual approach in structuring the film around whether Mogwai will reach number one on the UK Albums Chart with their 2020 LP, As the Love Continues. They achieved this rank in February 2021, which serves as one climax for the film toward the end. Do many of their fans care about such commercial matters? I doubt it. This attention to sales in If the Stars Had a Sound feels a bit off, given Mogwai’s experimental nature and unusual artistic ambition, even if it builds a feel-good mood as the film progresses.
If the Stars Had a Sound ultimately leaves many questions unanswered about the relationships among Mogwai’s members, their personal lives, their musical influences, and even what the term “post-rock” might mean to them. I wondered what other musicians in this genre, like David Pajo, who guested on Rock Action, or Munaf Rayani of Explosions in the Sky, might think about Mogwai’s music. I wanted to learn how “Auto Rock” and “We’re No Here” from Mr. Beast (2006) came to be included on the soundtrack for Michael Mann’s Miami Vice (2006), which served as a breakthrough for the band.
Despite these missed opportunities, If the Stars Had a Sound ends on a cathartic note with a concert by the group in their hometown of Glasgow following the pandemic. In this closing sequence, Crook foregrounds the views of ordinary fans with one man saying that they provided the soundtrack for the most significant moments in his life, including the death of his father and the birth of his children.
This final emotional note hits you. This film is ultimately for existing fans and their passion for a band that has always delivered. Indeed, the film’s title comes from a passing remark by a concertgoer. If the Stars Had a Sound may not have all the answers, but it intuitively understands Mogwai’s enduring charisma, even if their enigma remains.