18 - Mogwai : Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
It's hard to think of Mogwai now as veterans of the post-rock scene, and even of the Scottish music scene as a whole, but almost 15 years on from debut Young Team that's the reality. Following a rather hit and miss period which produced a couple of below-par studio albums but also a thrilling live record, Hardcore came across like an overview of the various 'Gwai guises over the years - thunderous riffs, noise, quietly beautiful passages, and even some straight-ahead indie rock. More than that, it was definite return to form, and by adding a second disc of orchestral magnificence and then the Earth Division EP, 2o11 was Mogwai's finest year for some time.
17 - Low : C'Mon
Another band in the veteran category, Duluth's finest have been going quietly at it since 1994, and with C'Mon they easily proved there's life in the old dog yet. I honestly thought that 2005's The Great Destroyer sounded like something of a goodbye from the band, and with suddenly appearing to have a revolving door of bassists since the departure of Zak Sally, it seemed to me that Low might be no more. But regrouping after the drab Drums and Guns, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker found their mojo again. All you need to do is listen to opener 'Try to Sleep' to know you're in the presence of classic Low, and epic centrepiece 'Nothing But Heart' is simply stunning, and one of the band's finest moments of the past 17 years. Welcome back, and here's hoping there's still plenty more to come.
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