Mogwai
“Underground” (feat. Iggy Pop)
Rock Action (available via Bandcamp)
Iggy Pop’s voice is as deep as a crater these days. It sounds like a burp from an ancient bog. It’s filled with gravel, like it’s begging you to jump headfirst into the local quarry when no one is looking.
It’s somehow terrifying and yet still comforting. I’ve been hearing it for so long in so many forms, which makes this latest delivery a real treat to hear where it’s heading next.
Pop’s latest collaboration with Scottish (mostly) instrumental post-punkers Mogwai is called “Underground.” There’s some melody here, but it’s mostly a sterile drone of jagged guitars for Pop to lay his voice down — and he’s got a few things to say.
“The opening of the track reminded me of the crushing modern loneliness,” said Pop in a statement. “The sung vocal, which was arranged by Matt Sweeney, felt like it was made for someone who is pissed off and doesn’t mind saying so."
And Pop doesn’t mind taking aim at a few targets, from artificial intelligence to nepo babies and the lack of comfort in the modern world. At times, Pop seems to be singing from the perspective of a robot himself yearning for human emotion (and touch).
“Everywhere you go a crime (crime, crime)
Every time you feel divine (divine)
There's a new toad in the road
And my universe just moans”
One of the forces behind Mogwai, Stuart Braithwaite, once wrote about how hearing the Stooges when he was young completely changed his musical mind. The idea of finally teaming up with Pop on a record must be a dream, but this is far from trying to lampoon those Stooges records.
This is most definitely Mogwai meeting Pop where he’s at — an elder statesman still chugging along, his energy a bit reduced on stage (yup, Pop’s still touring) but still powerful and resonant with his generation and the next. He’s got a bit more Leonard Cohen in his delivery now, but he’s still breathing fire. In fact, I think it’s collaborations like this one that help keep Pop young and relevant.
Mogwai’s “Underground” featuring Iggy Pop is out now and will be included with their upcoming greatest hits album, Happy Tears, due out in January 2027.
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