Government Commissions BBC Sessions 1996-2003
This record is dedicated to John Peel who died last year. John Peel was a legendary BBC broadcaster who had up and coming bands play on his radio show. Like Mogwai, John was dedicated to exploring new sonic terrains. This record features recordings of Mogwai's live performance from his BBC radio show. This record is Mogwai’s “Greatest Hits” of sorts. It features the band's radio performances from 1996-2003. The music of Mogwai is as stunning and powerful as always. Since these recordings are from radio show some of the songs seem a little stripped down (which is not really a bad thing).
“RU Still in 2 It” is my favorite song from the Young Team album. On this record it slowly builds then dissolves into beautiful drone. “Cody” is both sad and majestic. “Like Herod” is a brilliantly brutal 18 minutes. The only new song on the record (at least new to me), is “Super Heroes of the BMX.” Any song with BMX in its title can not be all bad (yes, besides being a music dork, at one point I was a BMX dork). It is a superb slow building song with a drum machine & keyboard, squealing guitars are added later. “New Paths to Helicon,” is a great track. This song, which appeared on “Ten Rapid” (their first record in the states), is the reason why I love this great band. All and all, this record is a great tribute to John Peel. If you are not familiar with this group, this disc is a great introduction to an amazing band. (Matador) (Dan Cohoon)
This record is dedicated to John Peel who died last year. John Peel was a legendary BBC broadcaster who had up and coming bands play on his radio show. Like Mogwai, John was dedicated to exploring new sonic terrains. This record features recordings of Mogwai's live performance from his BBC radio show. This record is Mogwai’s “Greatest Hits” of sorts. It features the band's radio performances from 1996-2003. The music of Mogwai is as stunning and powerful as always. Since these recordings are from radio show some of the songs seem a little stripped down (which is not really a bad thing).
“RU Still in 2 It” is my favorite song from the Young Team album. On this record it slowly builds then dissolves into beautiful drone. “Cody” is both sad and majestic. “Like Herod” is a brilliantly brutal 18 minutes. The only new song on the record (at least new to me), is “Super Heroes of the BMX.” Any song with BMX in its title can not be all bad (yes, besides being a music dork, at one point I was a BMX dork). It is a superb slow building song with a drum machine & keyboard, squealing guitars are added later. “New Paths to Helicon,” is a great track. This song, which appeared on “Ten Rapid” (their first record in the states), is the reason why I love this great band. All and all, this record is a great tribute to John Peel. If you are not familiar with this group, this disc is a great introduction to an amazing band. (Matador) (Dan Cohoon)
