Search - Mogwai :: Young Team

Same great album...made better!!

Bryan Coole | Chicago, IL USA | 09/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are already into Mogwai, I needn't tell you how amazing this album is by itself. When it was first released in October of 1997, it hit me with such impact, that it forever changed how I listen to music and what I feel about it. It still blows me away even today. Mogwai heralded something challenging and different to what I previously knew about music. In that respect, it is worth every penny. However, this is a remastered/expanded version.



Typically, I am skeptical about the whole 'remastered' thing. It seems that the results are mixed--and sometimes not even discernible from the original. Had it not been for impulsive behaviour in action, I might have given this a miss when I came across it the other day. Thankfully, I didn't. 'Young Team' given the remastering treatment is truly revealing.



The album always rocked, but now the guitars threaten global meltdown, the bass conspires to raze every building to the ground, the drums pound crisper and more ferocious than before, but that is just the half of it. On the softer pieces, each instrument is somehow showcased individually in the mix rather than being heard within the whole composition. The amazing clarity with which that comes through astounds me. I have to say this is impressive and makes it worth owning this version compared to the original.



The second CD 'Young Team Appendix' is equally brilliant. Featuring outtakes, rarities, and some live tracks from the same time, it builds on the music of the original album and keeps the experience of the album burning longer. Like the first CD, the clarity is fantastic. The listening experience equally satisfying.



With anticipation building for the release of 'The Hawk is Howling' this month, it has been refreshing to revisit 'Young Team' again and to hear it in a new way. The romance began here, so it has been appropriate!! For newbies, this is a great place to begin with Mogwai. For those in the know, it is worth buying again!! I only hope 'CODY' gets the same treatment in the future from Chemical Underground. Nice one!



"