Albums by this artist

Mogwai EP (1999)

Young Team (1997)

Mogwai

Young Team

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» PAUL FOREMAN | STAFF WRITER

Mogwai Young Team Jetset, 1997 RiYL: Slint, Ganger, Rodan, Codeine

On the surface, Mogwai's music appears no different than the rest of the instrumental records sprouting all around minuscule record labels. In other words, it is composed by four ugly men who can't really sing and have become quite adept at incorporating harmonics into their songs for lack of a better gimmick.

Yet Mogwai is truly a breath of fresh air, for it has joined the select group of bands that make instrumental music worthy of being acknowledged. And Mogwai, unlike the others, combines hypnotic grooves with rock. But it's not just rock -- it's white noise and loads of it, either roaring in the background ("Summer") or hammering away at the listener's ears mercilessly.

During "With Portfolio," which begins as an alluring piano ballad, a panned cornucopia of noise creates the feeling that the sound is traveling back and forth through the listener's brain to each ear. "R U Still In 2 It" could be the sequel to the "Twin Peaks" theme. And it's the first and only song on the album to feature vocals. Surprisingly, the Mogs aren't screaming, as many indie instrumentalists do when using their voices. In fact, their Scottish voices are quite soft, almost at a hum, and there's even a melody.

For a band that oddly describes itself as an MC5 for the '90s, Mogwai is an entirely palatable instrumental treat brooding with noise, maintaining a groove and balancing between flute/piano subtleties and smokestack lightning rock.

PAUL FOREMAN |