Atomic (Soundtrack) CD

Mogwai's first album since guitarist John Cummings' departure is deliciously conceptual. It started life as a soundtrack for Mark Cousins' bleak BBC4 documentary about the nuclear age, Atomic: Living In Dread & Promise, before being tweaked and reworked for release. Given that their first attempt at a soundtrack (2006's Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait) was such a success, it's little surprise to find that this one is also superb. Matching the unsettling, melancholic subject matter of Cousins' film, the Glaswegian collective's blend of post-rock grooves, heart-aching piano motifs, swelling strings, and atmospheric textures conjures up just the right amount of frustration, nostalgia, and Cold War paranoia.