My Father My King
| "My Father My King" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Mogwai | ||||
| Released | 23 October 2001 (UK) | |||
| Format | CD, 12" | |||
| Recorded |
Mayfair Studios London, England |
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| Genre | Post-rock | |||
| Length | 20:12 | |||
| Label |
Rock Action ROCKACTCD10 (UK, CD) ROCKACT10 (UK, 12") Matador OLE538-2 (US, CD) Play It Again Sam PIASV007CD (EU, CD) Spunk Records URA055 (Aus/NZ, CD) Toy's Factory TFCK-87273 (Japan, CD) |
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| Mogwai singles chronology | ||||
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"My Father My King" is a song by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai, which was released as a single in October 2001. Over 20 minutes long, and billed as a companion piece to the album Rock Action, a sticker on the cover of the single describes it as "two parts serenity and one part death metal". The song is regularly used to end Mogwai concerts - most recently all six of the band's 20th anniversary shows - and is often extended in length.
The song is completely instrumental, and is based on the melody from Avinu Malkeinu, a Jewish prayer recited on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and certain fast days, the melody of which had been taught to the band by producer Arthur Baker. The song was recorded by Steve Albini at Mayfair Studios, London in August 2001.
The song is based on two separate melodies from Avinu Malkeinu. It begins with a single guitar slowly playing the first melodic phrase, shortly afterwards joined by a second playing a similar counter-melody. A drumbeat enters at 1:32, and a third guitar at 2:16. The guitars slowly get louder until at 4:00 a harsh distorted guitar starts up, followed by a second at 4:35. The loud guitars start to drown out the other instruments until at 5:46, the noise subsides with one of the distorted guitars picking up the melody. This guitar ceases at 6:18, leaving a single "quiet" guitar, and the bass and drums too cease until there is only a faint trace of the melody on the single guitar.
At around the 8 minute mark, the guitar shifts to the second of the melodies. In a similar manner to the first part of the song, a second guitar joins the first, and eventually the distorted guitars join until the melody cannot be heard. The heavy guitars then play a number of different riffs whilst the song slowly becomes louder, until the drums drop out and the melodies cease at around the 17 minute mark. The rest of the song is composed of fragments of guitar noise and feedback which abruptly cuts out at the end.
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Wikipedia