Mogwai
Come On Die Young

Punk Rock.

The first words you hear on the second album by the Scottish band Mogwai are indeed: Punk Rock

It's Iggy Pop speaking, lulling us into these sweet yet sad notes. Upon doing some research, I discovered that the recording dates back to 1977 (which is also the year The Idiot, possibly Iggy Pop's most important album, was released, but that's another story...)

After their magnificent debut, the Scottish Mogwai return two years later with an album completely beyond any expectations.

As previously mentioned, the first sounds that reach our ears are sweet yet very melancholic, and up until this point, one might say nothing new. But as you continue listening to the second track, you realize that something has seriously changed...

No more distortions (with some exceptions for certain tracks on the album, especially in the second half of the record), no more violent breaks, no more silences overlapping with noises and vice versa, the line followed by this album is continuous, and until the end, the listener will not experience any jolts but instead will remain static in their tranquility and melancholy.

Then comes the second track, a sung track... strange for Mogwai since up until then, their songs only included vocal recordings not originating from the band itself. Along comes Cody, possibly the most intimate and melancholic track on the album, with a captivating melody accompanying the listener down to the deepest places of their soul, lulling them without letting them fall.

But it also leaves room for another matter, indeed Cody is also a sweet act of love towards music, a profound act of love that seals the alliance between man and music, an alliance that accompanies every human being throughout their life... just like an old friend.

"Old songs, stay till the end.

Sad songs, remind me of friends."

It's time for Helps Both Ways, a track with 'Slint-like' echoes both for the harmony dictated by the guitars and for the rhythmic temperament of the drums. The Mogwai hold back, remaining lucid and never falling into the melancholy that was present in the previous Cody.

The guitars seem to have a soul of their own and seem to communicate something, something that, however, will be completed by the following track closely linked to the previous one, namely: Year 2000 Non-Compliant Cardia.

With this track (but also with the previous one, albeit to a lesser extent), the Mogwai open up to electronics, revealing during the track splashes from some synthesizers.

The atmosphere of the album changes again, but always stays grounded, (after the cathartic experience of Cody) starting again from the usual recorded 'off-stage' voices, Mogwai return to sounds vaguely reminiscent of their previous Young Team (particularly at times showing similarities with the track Like Herod, but as previously mentioned, without proceeding with the usual drum blasts and distortions so beloved by the Scottish band).

Year 2000 Non-Compliant Cardia closes while leaving open the parentheses of electronics, and now it's the turn of Kappa, a track that after a brief solemn and quiet guit...

Calm.

Everything returns to the origins, and subtle harmonics restore the apparent calm that had so characterized the album until now.

If I had to give an adjective to the following track, I would use the term 'Sweet'.

Waltz for Aidan, which starts with the usual Slint-esque intro (Washer), reveals itself as a sweet guitar song that delights the listener's spirit and tucks them in with those subtle natural harmonics. We find ourselves in front of one of Mogwai's sweetest tracks, yet at the same time, one of the most melancholic tracks of the Scottish band.

The album continues with the long and profound May Nothing But Happiness Co, applying the same recipe used so far in the album but with this track the long durations so dear to Mogwai return.

One of the album's jolts lies precisely in the middle of this track, all the instruments move toward a turbulent crescendo while remaining in their place, never fully altering themselves, the guitar sounds become less clear but maintain a clean sound for a little longer.

Up until now, Come on die young has maintained a continuous flow, a continuous line that has never betrayed the listener, but with the advent of Oh! How The Dogs Stack Up something changes.

The short track presented acts a bit as a watershed between the previous tracks and the last four that we will listen to. Indeed, Oh! How The Dogs Stack Up, with its scratched piano, slightly breaks the emphasis that tracks like Kappa or Cody had created for the listener.

And now, we move toward what will be the end of the album, with Ex-Cowboy, Mogwai skillfully take another step back, marching through the old territories of Young Team.

The bass becomes the protagonist of the track, and at various points, it will be the only instrument speaking to us; indeed, it might be more correct to use the verb 'whisper.' That's what it does, it whispers words that will be completed by the sweet notes of the guitars.

Silence.

Resume.

We head toward a dizzying crescendo reminiscent of what the Japanese band Mono will do in the years to come. With slight distortions and continuous electronic splashes, the album seems to scratch, seems to be torn by this sonic ensemble that now seems unable to stop.

And I wasn't wrong about what I said concerning Mono, indeed, towards the end of the track, you hear a sweet melody that the Japanese band will use in the track The Battle of Heaven.

With the following Chocky, the Mogwai seem to become children again for a moment (a moment that lasts about 9 minutes) and seem to want to play hide and seek with the instruments. Starting from piano notes "disturbed" by various feedbacks, a guitar emerges comparable to a child trying to hide during a game of hide and seek. The usual rhythmic pattern, urgent yet slow, marks the time of this prolonged game, allowing our "child" to run toward the finish line to win the game. But we are not privy to know if they will win, because the Mogwai interrupt it at the most beautiful with Christmas Steps, a nursery rhyme disturbed by a haunting presence marching toward that child trying to fall asleep.

Once again, in a stronger way, 'Slint-like' echoes accompany us in this frantic race toward our destination point... and for brief moments, our child returns to play hide and seek. For the first time in the album, the distortions are felt, and when they decide to be, they take control of the track, shaking the mind of the listener who so far had experienced only sweet and rare shakes.

We are almost at the end of this long joke, the nursery rhyme draws to a close, and our child has probably reached the designated point to win the game... and a sweet violin announces the actual conclusion of the album.

And it is with Iggy Pop that the Mogwai close Come on die young, once again with Punk Rock, but this time brass instruments sound, and it almost seems like attending a funeral in Punk Rock/Puff Daddy/Antichrist.

The cycle thus begins again, the trumpets no longer play.

Everything is still, only the sweet notes of a guitar mark the end (but also the beginning) of this album formally ending.

The Mogwai are still there, waiting for someone to press the play button again to (re)start with Punk Rock.

And our child is ready to play another game, just waiting for us.