Search - Mogwai :: Mr Beast (Bonus Dvd) (Dlx)

Jaw-droppingly beautiful music

S. Chang | Ann Arbor, MI USA | 05/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been living with Mr. Beast for almost 24 hours now, and I'm still completely stunned. The CD hasn't left my player, whether that's been the one in my car, at home, or on my computer. I'm a Mogwai noob -- I've heard of them before but never really listened to any of their CDs. And now I'm setting aside the Radiohead, the Sigur Ros, and the miscellaneous electronica and ambient CDs I own to make room for the huge sonic space Mr. Beast wants to take up.



The lyrics are few, but that's okay -- glance at the title of each track before the track plays and let it whirl around in your mind like a mantra, and a detailed picture of something will come to mind. I especially like track #6, "Friend of the Night". On this track guitar and drums swap duties keeping time, echoing the ticks of a clock counting down the midnight hours. Meanwhile, piano with generous use of damper pedal takes flight on the melody backed by a guitar that sounds like it could have been wielded by Sigur Ros' J?n ??r Birgisson. The net effect is a perfect track for driving down the streets of an urban wasteland at four in the morning when you know sunrise is just a couple hours away."

Fascinating iterations...

fnord77 | edinboro, pa, altered states of america | 03/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The thing you have to understand about Mogwai's music involves

fractals. Their music gives an overwhelming sense of vast

spaces that you are only seeing a part of. Like Clyfford Styll's (hope I'm remembering that correctly) vast and threatening abstractions, small slices of some unimaginable whole.

That having been said, the 'gwai boys have changed the procedure somewhat. Mr. Beast is a quite different record from its predecessors, yet retains some similarities that link it with previous efforts.

It opens with a standard Mogwai gambit, the absolutely luminous "Auto Rock". Reminiscent of Rock Action's "Sine Wave", it's a slow build, piano driven mood piece that rides the signature Mogwai crescendo to an almost tribal ending, Martin Bulloch's drums taking over the ending. The soft/loud dynamic is not as prevalent as it has been, as "Glasgow Mega-snake" and "Folk Death 95" show. The former reaches out of the stereo and pummels you, with only a quiet single guitar intro lending to the soft half of the dynamic. Album closer "we're no here" is another guitar assault, finding Mogwai revisiting its Young Team punk like sound, but tighter, more focused, no less epic, though.

Only three vocal cuts this time around (one spoken in Japanese!)

with "Travel is dangerous" being quite good. Somewhat like "tuner" on steroids. The vocals are once again treated like just another instrument, no higher in the mix than any other.

I'd almost be tempted to say that Mogwai has made their "pop" record. No song is above Five minutes or so, and the epic length of previous records has been replaced by a take it or leave it attitude. There 's no screwing about here, they're out for blood.

It's not the "best" Mogwai record (my money's on Rock Action for that nod), but it rivals their best work and gets 5 stars for the inclusion of an excellent making of doc in the special edition. I'd give the regular album a four, say."

They've done it again

pizowell | 04/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How Mogwai can continue to create such beautiful and intriguing artful, indie guitar rock and seemingly not miss a beat is a true accomplishment. Their previous effort: Happy Songs for Happy People seemed to indicate a new direction for the group. Instead of harrowing eight to ten to twelve minute tracks that span the gamut from mood to crunch to slow burn, Mogwai shortened their arrangments and infused them with electronics. The result was brilliant. On Mr. Beast Mogwai seem to have thrown it all together - a back to basics approach, with a slight twist. With good old fashioned rock tracks like We're No Here and Glasgow Mega Snake they prove to still have the driving intensity of Young Team and Rock Action. While songs like Team Handed and Emergency Trap and the opener - Auto Rock - are mood pieces, slow and tender. Friend of the Night is glorious with its beautiful piano chords. Travel is Dangerous is menacing and thoughtful when its not chilling you with its low, nearly whispering vocals. The album is expansive and rich with sound. The addition of piano on many of the songs lends their sound a deeper, more sophisticated vibe. Songs like I Chose Horses and the aforementioned Friend of the Night stand out as trully intriguing. Mogwai, having been around for quite a while now and having already released several albums worth of tremendous music, prove to yet be at the top of their game while expanding their sound and reaching ever greater depths of artistic accomplishment."