FRAZZLE ROCK!
"What sounds to you like a big load of trashy old noise is in fact the brilliant music of a genius. Myself." So declares one Iggy Pop at the start of 'Come On Die Young'. And by 'brilliant music' he refers, of course, to the power of punk rock. "That music is so forceful it is beyond my control. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Probably. As statements of intent go, 'Punk Rock' is a wonderfully casual warning: for the next 65 minutes Glaswegian sonic terriers Mogwai are about to stormtroop out of the speakers, armed with little more than a big load of trashy old noise and an attitude which says, "Grrr. And Grrr again." It's thunder. It's frightening. Let's offload...
The pre-release rumours were strong, and most revolved around the giddy conceit that 'Come On Die Young' was going to differ from '97's debut 'Mogwai Young Team' in the sense that there would be a lot more singing, a load more orthodox 'songs' and a shiteload of juicy dance beats that Steps would sell their pearly white smiles for. Allegedly.
rather splendidly, however, we find the '99 model of Mogwai in tip-top perverse condition, patiently playing to their strengths and praying to the good lord of sizzling effects. We have bone-crunching dynamics. We have squalls of extreme noise terror. We have Mercury Rev's studio dude Dave Fridmann behind the mixing desk in New York State. We have the deep understanding that Mogwai are making music that is pretty much as far 'out there' as you can get without growing your hair and choosing to play a gig to absolutely no people in somewhere like sod bastarding Pompeii in the early-'70's. Luckily.
As is traditional with this post-rock malarkey, some of the song titles are works of art in themselves: 'Oh! How The Dogs Stack Up' is two minutes of crackling piano doominess; 'Year 2000 Non-Compliant Cardia' is the most unorthodox three minutes of deliciously controlled mayhem you will hear this month; and 'Kappa' is a bit like 'Year 2000 Non-Compliant Cardia', only with fewer cymbals.
In fact, a few parts of 'CODY' sound a bit like each other. Eschewing the tradition for releasing albums which consist of two cheery hit singles and a barrel load of crap fillers, Mogwai make records which rely on more organically-inclined strengths and themes. And when they pile together three songs - 'Ex-Cowboy', 'Chocky' and 'Christmas Steps' - over the course of 29 stereo-fearing minutes you're struck by the fact that, far from creating a soundtrack for a drippy generation of drop-outs, Mogwai's muse is infused with a sense of fevered restlessness.
Consider the way in which parts of 'Ex-Cowboy' make like Concorde taking off from your neighbour's kitchen, then ponder twitchily over the fact that, just as Bark Psychosis' 'Hex' album captured that wide-eyed essence of nocturnal carnage, so 'CODY' is way too demanding, too unsettling to merely act as background music for the indie bourgeoisie.
Which is the whole point. Sometimes 'CODY' is kind, sometimes it is cruel and at many times it is lovingly, leeringly abstract. because this is Mogwai in full, frazzled, fantastic effect. Live fast. Play slow. Die Young. [8/10]
SIMON WILLIAMS
The Express Album Of The Week - 27th March, 1999
The tone of this brillliant album is set in the first 30 seconds when Iggy Pop steps across the years to deliver a reverential accolade to the power of punk and, more revelantly, himself.
Glaswegian mavericks Mogwai are thinking big by allying themselves to that master of the irreverent, influential innovation. Thankfully, they play even bigger and Die Young is a juggernaut of an album, careering through styles and ideas with breathtaking self-confidence and impact.
Mogwai love Doorsy soundscapes and their guitars sing with the plaintive grind of Mercury Rev, but their biggest achievement is that it's utterly accessible. [5/5]
Kerrang - 27th March, 1999
It begins with Iggy Pop's sampled voice and ends with a song called 'Punk Rock/Puff Daddy Antichrist' featuring softly blown brass wafting across ambient tonal clusters. In between, you'll find American football commentaries lurking beneath distorted keyboard washes, monotone telephone operators lulled by chiming guitars and 67 minutes of the most beautiful music ever to grace a 'rock' album. Welcome to the wonderful world of Mogwai.
Mogwai's debut album 'Mogwai Young Team' married the Glasgow quintet's dual passions for Black Sabbath and cult US outfit Slint in undulating, meticulously composed instrumentation. This time around the band have largely abandoned 'MYT's 'quiet, loud, quiet, what the f**k!' dynamism, fashioning a spectacular musical suite which weaves, bobs and meanders through a variety of moods, tones and colours. Extracting isolated highlights is pointless as 'Come On Die Young' works as a breathtaking whole, all sculpted, gloriously directed feedback, fluid guitar runs, tantalising rhythmic swells, soothing keyboards and shimmering woodwind slivers.
The most poised, perfect noise you'll hear all year. [KKKKK]
PAUL BRANNIGAN