Mogwai
Rock Action

THE REVIEW

It all started with Loop and Spacemen 3, the non-stylized revision of psychedelia. To achieve sensory disorientation, the dilation of time, according to La Monte Young's theories, one would take a three-note riff and repeat it endlessly, playing only with dynamics and time. Subconscious. The Glasgow-based Mogwai continue on that path with purely instrumental songs. On the previous "Come On Die Young," there was the programmatic "Ex-Cowboy," which, starting from a repeated loop, would dissolve into a fury of elements. Here, "Take Me Somewhere Nice" instead reprises the structure of "Cody," also from the previous album, one of the few sung songs. Very beautiful but already heard. In "Dial: Revenge," Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals sings, a decidedly unpleasant song with an annoying vocal harmony. Instrumentals are better. "Robot Chant," one minute of white noise intro. And that's it. Too little. "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong" is the most successful, with an organ in the background and the occasional rain of guitars, but even here under control, clean, tamed. A subdued album for Mogwai and strangely soft. It never explodes. Better "Ten Rapid," "Young Team," and "Come On Die Young." In fact, "Rock Action" is one "Come On Die Young" too many.