British trio Snow Ghosts have unveiled a Mogwai remix of their track ‘Heavy Heart’, taken from their Real World Sessions EP, itself released today April 24th. The original version, previously reviewed by Backseat Mafia here hails from their stunning album A Quiet Ritual,
Remixed in the main by Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, it builds on the track’s gossamer-like nature while infusing it with dramatic swathes of electric guitar, the addition of which emphasises the track’s darkly alluring nature and chilling sense of otherworldliness. This array of juxtaposing textures lifts the song into new and stormy territory, without over-burdening the original.
“Mogwai have been one of the greatest bands in the world for 25 years so it’s hard to put into words how it feels to have them remix our work. All of us are long-serving listeners so it goes without saying that their music has shaped our own musical output over those years.”
The Mogwai remix of ‘Heavy Heart’ and a live performance of the original version are both featured on Snow Ghosts’ Real World Sessions EP. Containing live versions of two additional tracks from A Quiet Ritual – the powerfully hypnotic ‘Ribcage’ and the gloomy, expansive ‘Spinners’ – all of which were captured at Real World Studios in Wiltshire, England, exclusive video has been released via the band’s social media sites today and is well worth your time.
For these sessions, Snow Ghosts worked alongside composer Toby Young who adapted his original score from A Quiet Ritual for a string trio of violin, viola and cello, as well as performing keys. The band also recruited John Kenny, one of the few musicians in the world able to play the Carnyx, an extremely rare Iron Age Celtic boar-headed horn. The one he performs with on the Real World Sessions and A Quiet Ritual is a replica of a Carnyx excavated from a bog in Deskford, Scotland.
The mix of modern and classical instruments is indicative of the idiosyncratic timelessness common to Snow Ghosts’ work. Having had a historical context present on their previous albums, the inclusion of the Carnyx highlights the ritualistic themes examined on A Quiet Ritual.
Twitter: @Snow_Ghosts
~ @HoundstoothLBL
