MOGWAI – Mr. Beast (Play It Again Sam)
I must admit that I have deserted Mogwai over the past couple of years, as I felt that after their innovative start, and two superb albums, that they had gone a bit soft, actually including vocals on their last album! However, after hearing good things about this one, most especially the term ‘return to form’, I have given them a second chance, and they have repaid me in spades. OK, there are a couple of actual songs on here, whereas I always thought that their instrumental stuff was their real forte, but the vocals are often drowned out by the melange of guitars so you hardly notice them. ‘Auto Rock’ actually begins with a lovely piano figure playing over massed guitar backing, and is a promising start to the album. ‘Glasgow Mega-Snake’ is where the return to form kicks in, being a classic full on Mogwai instrumental, and although both ‘Acid Food’ and ‘Travel Is Dangerous’ have lyrics to them, they are still as loud as hell, and great to listen to at full volume. The whole of side B shows the gentler side of the band, with ‘Team Handed’, ‘Emergency Trap’, and ‘Friend Of The Night’ being more gentle piano-led pieces, the latter even making it into the Top 40 as a single. But it is Side C where the band unleash ‘Mr. Beast’, with ‘Folk Death 95’ gradually building up from a slow beginning to a crescendo of noise and then drifting down the other side, while ‘I Chose Horses’ is a brief interlude of quiet before the grand finale of ‘We’re No Here’. Saving the best until last, this is Mogwai at their very best, and a fitting end to a great album. The double vinyl issue only plays on three sides, with the fourth one being etched with the band logo, and the artwork by Amanda Church is stunning – yet another case where the CD sleeve would have been too small to really appreciate its full scope. So, a return to form? Most definitely yes, producing their most fully rounded album to date, and I am glad to welcome them back into my life.