Atomic

Few partnerships make more sense than bludgeoning post-rock Scots Mogwai soundtracking a film about a nuclear explosion (2015's BBC documentary, <i>Atomic: Living in Dread and Promise</i>). But surprisingly, considering the subject matter, the group dial it down on this gorgeous collection, which broods in the eerie mists of the fallout rather than stoking the violence. The tense pulses of “U-235” evoke radiation detection devices, and the tremulous strings in “Are You a Dancer” are the closest Mogwai have come to folk, while the doomy, reeling “Pripyat” combines their ambient and aggressive tendencies to masterful effect.