MOGWAI - Rock Action LP

Label: Southpaw Recordings / [PIAS]

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 musical mischief makers, Mogwai craft their own sound, largely due to the melodic narratives they conjure up in the interplay between the three guitarists. With hardly a spoken whisper in the mix, they manage to create great moments of drama, tension, and resolution. "Take Me Somewhere Nice" is a meandering journey toward the promised land, "You Don't Know Jesus" wanders with mystical and loopy abandon, and "Secret Pint" thrums in stately glory