FOR more than 20 years, Mogwai have pretty much owned their own style of music.

Sweeping, soaring, intense melodies, few words, soundscapes that open the listener’s mind to all kinds of wanderings, but which - if we’re being honest - are pretty difficult to sing along or dance to.

Not that this is a bad thing, and nine albums in, the band could pretty much do this in their sleep. What keeps listeners coming back for more, and waiting three years for the next album, is that it’s done so well.

From the opening - the nicely titled Coolverine - the album sets itself out as something akin to the soundtrack for a science-fiction movie or moody arthouse film.

At once uplifting, tense and progressing with a beat that makes you want to find out where it goes next, similar to Cliff Martinez’s classic Drive soundtrack. But while it has a sense of direction, it’s in no rush to take you anywhere. With this, it’s all about the journey, and Coolverine - like the rest of the album - is a slow but rewarding one.

Kicking things up a gear is the upbeat Party In The Dark. With lazy bass, phased voices and synths, and half-talking, half-singing chorus, it’s the closest thing to a singalong pop tune on here, with more than a nod to Flaming Lips, Pet Shop Boys and New Order.

Crossing The Road Material builds and builds into a thrilling mix of synth, bass, keyboard and guitar, while aka47 is a simpler affair - all ominous chords, distortions and twanged strings - that belongs in a documentary about Cold War-era Berlin.

While the album is an engaging listen - best done when staring at wide open spaces - perhaps its biggest frustrations is also one of its biggest selling points; that unique style developed by Mogwai over the years.

Yes, every second of this album contains terrific musicianship, and yes, in the right circumstances it’s a true thing of beauty. For fans, it’s something you can flick on and mellow out to, but for the occasional listener, it’s something you have to work to enjoy. Worth it though.