Two years later, 2003’s Happy Songs for Happy People yielded one of Mogwai’s most famous songs: a 4-minute, verse-chorus number under the name “Hunted by a Freak”. There was a slight strangeness to how the chord progression slunk round every five or 10 bars, sometimes extending to hang open for an extra four beats, waiting for a belated chorus to crash in. Otherwise it was a straight-up pop song, swooping and mysterious in a “We’re Walking in the Air” kind of way, flecked with the eerie melodic flavour of a band like Radiohead. It was catchy and instantly replayable. Yet Mogwai was a
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