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Amazon.co.uk Review
Rock Action, the third full-length album from experimental noise outfit Mogwai, is a sort of compromise; it's out with harsh walls of feedback and allusions to Glaswegian gang warfare, and in with banjos, trombones, electronics, and--for the first significant time on a Mogwai release proper--vocals, from the band's Stuart Braithwaite. At 38 minutes, Rock Action is surprisingly brief--it boasts a mere eight songs, two of which are pretty perfunctory bursts of noise: the Kid 606-style electronic distortion of "Sine Wave" and the molten industrial racket of "Robot Chant". But what's here is likeable; "Take Me Somewhere Nice" features guitar and backing vocals from ex-Slint guitarist and Papa M man David Pajo, while Gruff Rhys of Welsh psychedelists Super Furry Animals turns in a haunted Welsh-language lyric on "Dial: Revenge". While Mogwai's razor edge is sorely missed, Rock Action is a compromise only to the inevitable effects of musical evolution. They haven't lost a thing. -- Louis Pattison
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is probably one of Mogwai's more accessible albums, as it's less noisy and heavy than their previous albums. Released in 2001, it begins with the slightly scratchy Sine Wave before going into the epic Take Me Somewhere Nice. This song incorporates keyboards into Mogwai's bass-heavy sound. It features vocals by David Pajo (Slint/Papa M) which work well with some beautiful music played by Stuart Braithwaite and co. I can almost feel the snow fall.
After the short interlude, O I Sleep we get another brooding song, Dial: Revenge which hangs on a simple sounding acoustic guitar figure before the keyboards come in. It features vocals sung in Welsh by Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals. You Don't Know Jesus runs to 8 minutes and is more abrasive sounding. The band, who are pretty restrained elsewhere on this album, let loose with heavy guitars and crashing cymbals. Two Rights Make One Wrong is the longest song here at nine and a half minutes, starting out with jangly guitar but building up with guitars, strident drums, keyboards, electronics, wordless vocals before finishing off with banjo. It shouldn't work but surprisingly it does. The final track Secret Pint is a little anti-climactic, a sparser, piano-led track with more gentle vocals.
A good entry point for checking out this band's guitar-effect heavy post-rock.
After the short interlude, O I Sleep we get another brooding song, Dial: Revenge which hangs on a simple sounding acoustic guitar figure before the keyboards come in. It features vocals sung in Welsh by Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals. You Don't Know Jesus runs to 8 minutes and is more abrasive sounding. The band, who are pretty restrained elsewhere on this album, let loose with heavy guitars and crashing cymbals. Two Rights Make One Wrong is the longest song here at nine and a half minutes, starting out with jangly guitar but building up with guitars, strident drums, keyboards, electronics, wordless vocals before finishing off with banjo. It shouldn't work but surprisingly it does. The final track Secret Pint is a little anti-climactic, a sparser, piano-led track with more gentle vocals.
A good entry point for checking out this band's guitar-effect heavy post-rock.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This album was seen as a compromise when compared to the bands first two albums which were were heavier in content and lyrical damage.This album started the electronic sound like the band would master later on in their career,here they were just toying with it,while the sound is certainly accessible,there is the odd dull moment lodged in between a solid enough piece of work.
The band use more vocals than they did before and perhaps after here,and thats fine and there are contributions from the singer of super furry animals and the ex guitarist of slint to boot but with two very short tracks seeming somewhat lost in the bands version of post rock this album isnt perfect,but still enjoyable when it wants to be.
The band use more vocals than they did before and perhaps after here,and thats fine and there are contributions from the singer of super furry animals and the ex guitarist of slint to boot but with two very short tracks seeming somewhat lost in the bands version of post rock this album isnt perfect,but still enjoyable when it wants to be.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a really melodic and, at times, spine tingling album. The added instrument of the voice makes it sound like poetry written to music. Although it's not all fantastic, it seems to fade away after 5 songs (personally), but the first half of the CD is a gem. The gentle melodies makes you want to drift off to sleep, especially in 'Take Me Somewhere Nice', where the track would sound bare without the quiet voice. 'Dial:Revenge'(by the way Dial means revenge in welsh, it's not Dial in the english phone meaning - sorry if it's obvious to most of you) is another great track with the guitar playing a steady, yet strangely dark song. A great album
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Take Me Somewhere Nice...
A change of pace from the earlier post-rock Mogwai sound of Young Team and Come On - Die Young; Rock Action finds the Glaswegian noisemakers tuning down the amplifiers, stripping... Read more
Published on 13 July 2004 by Jonathan James Romley
if you havn't already, buy it
this album is sometimes pointed out as too short, but it really doesn't matter as the quality of this album is enough reason to love this album. Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2002 by "mahavishnu_me"
really really great
it's not too short, as some people have complained, in my opinion CODY was too long. rock action is a lot easier to listen to than their previous two albums, with gentle folk songs... Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2001
A stunning piece of work!
As a brand new fan of Mogwai I would like to destroy the rumour that Rock Action is only for existing fans who have other Mogwai albums. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2001 by Neil O' Rourke
Quietly, is the only word necessary to summarize this album
The first song on "rock action" sets the mood for the rest of the album. "Take me somewhere nice", the second song, is a song which takes you on an emotional... Read more
Published on 20 July 2001
Mogwai keep on rocking
Before the album came out I was worried that it was going to be Mogwai selling out. Luckily I was wrong. Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2001
musically brilliant, but lacking in length...
Mogwai add to their previous demonstration of powerful and intelligently crafted music with the release of "Rock Action". Read more
Published on 16 May 2001
nice
More like their last EP than the albums - and better for it. Mellow with more textures but still has the energy bubbling underneath. Read more
Published on 4 May 2001
Boring, Boring, Boring
If quiet is the new loud, kill me now. This new "EP" by Mogwai, the so called "Rock Action" was meant to propel their underground genius into the mainstream. Read more
Published on 3 May 2001 by MR RJP UPTON
dial:revenge
i agree with the guy who wrote that cody was too long, although i must say they could have extended this to, say, 50 minutes. Read more
Published on 2 May 2001
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