YOUNG TEAM

After the wild and eclectic debut EP "4 Satin," the Scottish post-rock band MOGWAI (means "evil spirit" in Cantonese) wasted no time releasing their first official full length album MOGWAI YOUNG TEAM just a few months later, however in that short time the band learned how to find a more cohesive sound that has become more focused than the wild palette of motifs heard on the EP. What we get here is a nice mellow kind of post-rock that mostly consists of guitar, bass and drums and just like a little music box has repetitive loops of sound that in some cases ratchet up the tension past the ten minute mark ("Little Herod," "Mogwai Fear Satan"). Unlike the more elaborate themes of post-rock contemporaries like Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Tortoise or Sigur Rós that tend to add sonic layers upon each other, MOGWAI opts for the simpler route only taking that road a few times on the longer tracks. If i had to compare them with another band's approach i would have to say they remind me a bit more of Australia's Dirty Three or even a Godspeed! without the bells and whistles.

While the guitar, bass and drum trio of instruments are the backbone of MOGWAI's sound, there are also inclusions of other instruments scattered throughout the album. There is a glockenspiel on "Tracy," a piano on "Radar Maker," "With Portfolio," "A Cheery Wave Of Stranded Youngster" and we also get some flute on "Mogwai Fear Satan." Despite the different sounds coming in and out the emphasis is focused on the looping of themes which usually build momentum on the softer side of the sound spectrum and then can suddenly explode into a raucous cacophonous frenzy. While most of the tracks stick to this formula and are similar in timbre, song structure and mood, there are some strange beasts on board here as well. "With Portfolio" is a bizarre little track that utilizes some seriously heavy use of distortion and effects. Although it begins with an innocent piano riff it soon is joined in by some serious Krautrock-esque type of electronic embellishments that eventually gain control and take the listener on the most tripped out track on the album.

However for the most part is definatley a post-rock band and MOGWAI does stick to the parameters of how song structures are laid out and all but the band still manages to separate their enough from the post-rock scene in general. It is a mostly instrumental album but there are a few tracks that have spoken words and "R U Still in 2 It" has guest vocals from Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap. MOGWAI YOUNG TEAM is a great debut album by the band that manages to keep the tracks similar enough for the most part to have a cohesive feel to the whole thing but yet has enough diverse elements that prevent it from becoming boring in any way. Nice sounds, nice songs and nice feel to the whole thing. This is where i began my MOGWAI journey and have been loving their albums that follow.