Domingo 7 May 2006, 18:59

So yeah, just recently found Mogwai's latest album Mr. Beast by mistake . I had heard them before, yeah. Some guy at Barnes & Noble told me about them after I asked him about []Explosions in the Sky . He also mention Tortus and a few others .

So yeah, I then went home and downloaded some of their stuff. It seemed alright, but for some reason I couldn't get into it . Then, some time later, at the local mall, I stumbled across their Government Commissions compilation. I bought it, took it straight to a friend's house and we listened to it . It was one of those experiences where I felt like the band was just sorta fucking with me. It would be going great, they'b be playing something nice, pretty, nye awesome, then it'd rapidly dissolve into unyielding noise, continuing incessantly as the minutes dragged on and the dog barked until I eventually hit the next button. I don't remember what particular song that was right off… Anywho, overall I was glad I bought it, but I really never listen to it anymore. It's really something you would listen to by yourself as mere self-indulgence rather than something you would turn on in the company of your friends . I can't even sleep to it for previously explained reasons. I didn't listen to them much since then.

So just a couple days ago I was at the same mall with a couple friends, ready to blow my second paycheck on the first thing that captured my interest. Mr. Beast just happened to be it. I glanced over at the Mogwai divider and it's teeny-tiny selection. I almost looked away after I saw the Government Commissions CD sittin' there, but then I noticed another one behind it. Curiosity got the beter of me and I took it to the little scanner thing to listen to it. After the first track, I had to hear the second track, then the third track, and so on . By the time I finished checking it out I was thinking "Where the fuck was all this before?"

Some of you may or may not appreciate the comparison, but this album almost seems like the parallel of Modest Mouse and their Good News For People Who Love Bad News album. It's polished. There is no token "bad" song. There's some good variety. Overall it's a masterpiece. From the quiet, evening-skyline-remeniscent Team Handed to the loud, powerful, glorious Glasgow Mega Snake, each song is a profound experience. After buying it, I took it home to my friend's house and we listened to it while he and his brother played videogames. He remarked "Hey, who's this again?" "Mogwai." "I like 'em." Damn straight ya do…