Mogwai: Dominic Aitchison, Stuart Leslie Braithwaite, Matin Bulloch, Barry Burns, John Cummings.
Additional personnel includes: Remote Viewer (banjo, programming); David Pajo, Gruff Rhys, Willie Campbell, Charlie Clark, Gary Lightbody (background vocals).
Engineers include: Dave Fridmann, Tony Doogan, Bill Racine.
Principally recorded at Tarbox Road, Cassadaga, New York and Cava Studios, Glasgow, Scotland.
From the opening static surge of "Sine Wave" to the majestic closer "Secret Pint," ROCK ACTION is Mogwai at its best. For this 2001 album, the Scottish post-rock band reigns in much of the bombast of earlier recordings, opting for melody and texture over all else. Guitarist Stuart Braithwaite contributes more vocals than ever before, though they're often hushed or heavily treated, and Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys lends his voice to the haunting "Dial: Revenge." While the ominous, amped-up "You Don't Know Jesus" is the closest that the record comes to living up to its cheeky title, ROCK ACTION's true highlight is the gorgeously chiming nine-minute mini-epic "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong." Throughout the album, Dave Fridmann's sterling production calls attention to the dynamic arrangements, allowing fascinating sonic elements (including strings and horns) to emerge from Mogwai's three-guitar/bass/drums lineup. For most Mogwai fans, ROCK ACTION stands as one of the band's finest moments, and for newcomers, it's an excellent point of departure.
What the critics say...
Spin (5/01, p.147) - 8 out of 10 - "...An immaculate 38-minute lullaby for the not-working class, replete with tape hiss and timpani, sweetly brooding vocals, and otherworldly 'HOBBIT'-core....Like the band itself, it keeps getting bigger and better on its own sweet time."
Q (5/01, p.114) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Excellent....walking the guitar-noise-symphony walk. This is their most rewarding album yet..."
Alternative Press (2/02, p.65) - Ranked #17 in AP's "25 Best Albums of 2001".
Alternative Press (6/01, p.78) - 4 out of 5 - "...A tongue-in-cheek and often exquisite stab at excess..."
Magnet (12-1/02, p.56) - Included in Magnet's "20 Best Albums of 2001".
Magnet (4-5/01, pp.79,82) - "...Extraordinarily rich and emotionally riveting....the post-post-rock era's SGT. PET SOUNDS' LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND."
CMJ (4/30/01, p.4) - "...Mesmerising and hypnotic..."
Mojo (Publisher) (5/01, p.102) - "...If beauty and ambition be the defining values of that album title concept, they've served up here in spades."
NME (Magazine) (12/29/01, p.59) - Ranked #28 in NME's 50 "Albums Of the Year 2001".
