Released: 2001
Mogwai (on this album) are:
Dominic Aitchison
Stuart Leslie Braithwaite
Martin Bulloch
Barry Burns
John Cummings
Guest Vocals by David Pajo and Gruff Rhys
Pros
Another solid unit of songs
Addition of strings gives the band a fuller sound
Has two of Mogwai’s best songs on
Sensible song lengths.
Cons
Clocks in at under 40 mins
Individual songs feel a little empty on their own
Lacks Mogwai’s biting edge in places.
Recommended Tracks
Dial:Revenge
You Don’t Know Jesus
2 Rights Make 1 Wrong
In Depth
Coming off the back of their last albums, Come On Die Young, and Young Team, Mogwai seemed to have found their way in putting their masses of songs into an album. They were also overdue creating a critically acclaimed album for the masses by music industry standards.
And so, due to al the hype and support building for them, NME, Mojo, Q and other ‘quality’ music magazines were prepared to give this their mark of approval. This straightaway lets you know that this album is not up there as the best.
The continuing problem with Mogwai is that they make albums these days, where every track has a special relationship with the rest. There are a few songs you can pick off this and let them stand alone, but most seem very empty once played without their other companions. When the whole package is played together, it can be magical, the mood is set with the first few notes then sent off in different directions without ever telling you that its doing so.
Standout Tracks
Dial:Revenge
Ok, so 5 Scotsmen and a Welshman go into a recording studio….well, that’s about as funny as it gets. Mogwai collaborations in the past have a habit of, well, not happening. At one stage the band had managed to get a track recorded with Chino of the Deftones, only to have it fall apart at the last minute due to disagreements over the addition of a French Horn. This time, all artistic differences seemed to not matter, as Mogwai only had one request to Gruff Rhys (Supper Furry Animals) when he sang on this, to sing in his native Welsh language. The result, along with some standard beautiful Mogwai music creates a beautiful piece of music, which is up there as one of my favourite songs ever.
You Don’t Know Jesus
A track where Mogwai show to the guitar world you don’t need high gain and distortion to create a large dynamic track. Another example of Mogwai’s ability to create a 5 min+ song out of practically the same chord pattern. The drums are the star in this, they really change the song’s depth in a progressive manner. Probably Mogwai’s most ‘rock’ song on this ironically titled album too.
2 Rights Make 1 Wrong
Similar to You Don’t Know Jesus, it uses a basic guitar progression then throws in strings, horns, trademark vox effects and varying drum patterns. This track also leads nicely onto the bands next album, as it has a similar sound and atmosphere. Its also one of the longest tracks on this album
Overview.
To say that this album is a few amazing tracks with some filler thrown in to fill it out isn’t correct, but from the first few listens, that’s the feeling you get. There are the songs on here that have some real devotion put into them, and then there are tracks made purely to complement those tracks. For mogwai fans, this album is a must straight off; you’ll feel at home straight away with this one. For non-fans, this may be a good starting point to get to know the band, and post rock in general, as it does seem to feel a bit more accessible than their other records.
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