After months of recording in the wilderness of upstate New York with Dave Fridmann (producer of Mercury Rev's recent iconoclastic album, "Deserter's Songs"), Glasgow's indie-acclaimed Mogwai cements its reputation for creating uniquely beautiful contemporary guitar music with "Come On Die Young," the follow-up to its 1997 debut "Mogwai Young Team." If you can recall the heady, loveless days of My Bloody Valentine when it felt like your new wave-tainted ears were being assaulted by an uncharted sonic maelstrom, you might just appreciate Mogwai's primarily instrumental, restrained yet free-flowing, achingly beautiful guitar atmospheres.
Mogwai is definitely the latest darling of the indie-music press -- but rightly so. Subtle and intriguing, hypnotically repeating, these songs woo you into a trancelike state of active listening. Mogwai wields harmonic-driven guitar, resonating, thick and brooding keyboards, and searing, metallic vortices of noise that inevitably wash away to reveal frail hints of melody. May nothing but Mogwai caress your ears for the next year.
