Review of Rock Action Single by Mogwai

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11. Mogwai Rock Action (Album - (Southpaw) )
Mogwai have grown up. Since the release of their previous 2 albums, Young team and Come on Die Youngtheres been a change. The progression from their musical adolescence hasnt shocked them enough intoincorporating any appropriate old related words into their title of their new album but its certainly managed to mellow them out. As has the fact that within the 2 years since their last album many other bands have followed suit and are making music all too similar to their groundbreaking style of 99. So, time to move on andas Stuart Braithwaite of the band explained Weve brought on the banjos, the violins, the trombones and I didsome singing. But he also managed to drop in Theres still some noise though and there is, just not noise tothe same degree.

Having said that, just for old times sake, Rock Action does open with an irritatingly incoherent kind of fuzzyfeedback with Sine Wave but then reassuringly simmers down into the following track Take Me Somewhere Nice. And, as an epic cacophony of powerful yet dainty musical imagery, it manages to do just that. The remainder of the album, half songs, half instrumentals, keeps the turbulence and the graceful/raucous juxtapositions to a comparative minimum.

All the energy and feeling is there however and having recorded the majority of the albumin New York in the space of just six weeks and with significant input from new band member Barry Burns andproducer Dave Fridmann ( who, as well as working on their last album Come On Die Young has also workedwith The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev), this album demonstrates admirably how their songwriting talent hasdeveloped.

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