The Glaswegian lads in Mogwai continue to tinker with their instrumental rock formula. Whereas Young Team featured the loud-soft dynamic gleaned from Velvet Underground and Come On Die Young copped Sonic Youth’s moody experimentalism, Rock Action adds a dash of Yo La Tengo’s hushed ambience and Flaming Lips’ studio-savvy playfulness (no surprise there–Rock Action was produced by Lips collaborator and Mercury Rev-ster David Fridmann.) Despite quoting from such a heavy lineup of [Read More...]
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there has always been something about mogwai. i can distinctly remember the day i bought my first mogwai disc (young team), popping it into my car, and being blown away. soon after, one by one, i purchased the mogwai discography. and there hasn’t been any purchases i would take back. i enjoyed all their releases and i respected that they proved with each album that they refused to stay the same. they were a great example of how a band should evolve.
so you could say i had incredibly high hopes for “rock action”. i wanted another great album that showed yet more progress. there hadn’t been too many “great” albums released yet in 2001 so i set even higher expectations for it.
and this album exceeded every single expectation.
from the opening hum of “sine wave” to the final guitar strumming on “secret pint”, this album is pure musical bliss. never before has there been a mogwai album that sounded so varied, yet so focused. they incorporate more electronic elements into the mix on some tracks, and the accoustic guitar line on “dial: revenge” is beautiful (as are the guest vocals from gruff rhys from the super furry animals). and speaking of vocals, there are more on this album than previous releases. this actually made it harder for me to get into at first, but now after more listens i appreciate it so much more, as they used them very tastefully and never overdo it.
“rock action” has no spots that lag, and some of the songs are catchy even…but still beg you to listen to them over and over. this is an album that will stand up to repeated listening (as all mogwai albums do) and should become an important part of your music collection as there is not much that sounds like it.
this album does not sound like come on die young. if you’re expecting them to revert to the sound on young team, think again. but if you are expecting them to progress again and make more great music, buy this album, as you will not be disappointed in the least.
and if you’ve never heard mogwai, this would be a great starting point, as it is probably the most accessible for untrained ears.
Do not listen to the nay-sayers. This is the very best Mogwai album, period. It is the most varied and most focused work they have done. This allows the songs to garner an intensity that simply was not there before or was buried along with too much of the same. From the swelling “Sine Wave,” to the hauntingly beautiful “Take Me Someplace Nice,” the mighty Mogwai will cause the hair on your neck to stand. Plus the vocals here are so perfectly in place that you hope the band produces more vocal tracks in the future. Personally I think this is the best album of 2001…anything that contains the ominous power of “You Don’t Know Jesus,” has to be. Please do yourself a favor and get this masterpiece.