New Mogwai LP: As Love Continues (Feb. 19, 2021) *

I listened to the album in high-res digital again tonight. And played around with absolute polarity (a.k.a. absolute phase). The album sounds better to me with the absolute polarity inverted. But still doesn't lock in like I think it should. What might be going on is that all parts of the mix (all instruments) aren't in the same absolute phase or locked to having transients hit in the same absolute phase at exactly the same time. The absolute phase just sounds off, not as exact as it should be. And sounds better to me inverted. Inverting the absolute phase gets the bass and rhythm to sound more correct but some of the midrange instruments end up sounding wrong. So it ends up being a tradeoff. Do you set the absolute polarity (absolute phase) to optimize the bass and rhythm or do you optimize for the midrange instruments? Neither answer is correct. But to me with my gear the album sounds better with the absolute polarity inverted. There is more drive and things sound more in sync (or in sinc (a digital filter pun)). But neither absolute polarity setting has everything locked in.

Try inverting the absolute polarity if your gear allows. Can be difficult to do for a turntable setup. Easier to do with a digital setup. I use JRiver Media Center and can invert absolute polarity (absolute phase) with DSP plugins. Easy to do with digital playback. Not so easy with pure analog unless you have some special gear.

Absolute polarity (absolute phase) is how the initial transient of a drum hit hits you. The initial hit of a bass drum should cause the speakers to push air so the bass drum hit hits you in the chest. It's the difference between the speakers blowing or sucking. Nobody wants sound that sucks.

 

Damned... I totally wasn't aware that I'm effectively only one album ("Rave Tapes") short. Additionally I have "Mogwai Fear Satan" triple remix album on super trippy colour wax, "Ten Rapid" as 10", "Zidane" and the great "Stanley Kubrick" ep.

 

Mogwai tweeted that the album is Number 3 in Germany, 5 in Belgium and 8 in Sweden.

While the latter two are relatively small in population, Germany is still a huge market where physical product is still popular, so they must have sold a decent amount of copies in Germany.

 

I love this album. It deserves all the accolades and sales it is getting.

 

Yeah!

 

Jim, which format and version did you get? I ordered the yellow vinyl from Bull Moose last night.
Jeff

 

Dang you ended up with two copies? The signed print is nice too!

 

I have the indie US version. It is pressed nicely. I am not sure there would be much difference between it and the Arkwright cut as they probably both used digital files.

 

I ordered together with a friend! One copy will be leaving the house later today.

 

I thought you might be one of those crazy collector types!

 

Gotcha lucky nonetheless, US options were not quite as good as the euro versions...

 

Still no progress on my boxset - has now spent more than two weeks ‘cleared and waiting international departure’ at, I assume, the UK airport... Anyone else in a similar boat?

 

That is terrible.

My US yellow vinyl came in record time (2 days) from Bull Moose. I guess USPS has worked out their holiday issues now.

Going to give it a spin now.

 

I'm really digging it on first listen.

Interesting to read credits: recorded and engineered at Vada Recording Studios in UK; produced and mixed at Tarbox Road Studios in New York; mastered at Abbey Road back in UK.

Three different teams in three locations, so presumably this was a pandemic lockdown album.

 

Royal Mail says they’re way behind on everything - including saying it will take ten days to get a response to an email - so I guess I just keep waiting. I’ve generally been pretty lucky with shipping over the last year or so - this one is probably the worst - so I can’t really complain. Just disappointing to be missing the genuine buzz surrounding this release. Oh well. I’ll get it soon enough & still have plenty of time to enjoy it...

 

No 8 in the Billboard album chart this week.

 

The album is holding up really well in the UK midweek charts at number 12, which considering the top 8 are all new entries, that’s pretty good going.

 

This album was featured on Tim's Twitter Listening Party last week and can be replayed for those interested. Barry and Stuart participated and shared stories, inspirations and memories of making this great music.

 

FWIW, I ordered directly from mogwai.scot on release day and was pleasantly surprised to find out the FLAC was 24/96, so it looks like both direct and via bandcamp are 24/96.

 

My vinyl boxset finally arrived the other day - worth noting that, even though it’s not mentioned anywhere on their website or the box itself (or even discogs last time I checked), it includes a download code (320 mp3) for the whole set: album and demos. I had hoped it would, since the Every Country’s Sun boxset did, but was concerned about it not being listed anywhere.

 

enjoy the set! I can’t get the vinyl off my turntable.

 

Likewise! This is a fantastic album.

 

Only just getting round to listening to this. Musically it's terrific, but my god I wish Dave Fridmann would give up production and go and work in a bank or something.

 

Couldn’t agree more. I find myself enjoying the Zero Zero Zero OsT, and the earlier ost work much more than the new album. It’s tiring to listen to I find similar to ECS...for whatever reason I never got that feeling with Rock Action though

 

On right now, with a cup of Sunday morning coffee, and life is good.