EP

Mogwai shows a lot of very good build up in these songs. A lot of the material on here is somewhat sad, pretty and climactic. I consider the most moving pieces to be the Stanley Kubrick and Small Children in the Background. The first is rather sad and moody while that latter has one of the greatest climax's in Mogwai's career so far. This is probably the best place for any person to start who wants to get a taste for the group as this release is a nice (and cheap) overview of the bands sound.

The absolute best way to buy this disc is to get the EP+6 release of it, which includes the tracks from the band's two previous EPs as well, extending the running time to that of a full length album. More varied and accommodating of noisy crescendos than Mogwai's other major 1999 release, Come On Die Young, for those who weren't fond of that album's extremely subdued sound the EP+6 may provide a welcome substitute - for me, I find it complements the other disc wonderfully. A more than credible followup to the band's previous odds and sods collection, Ten Rapid, EP+6 shows the other side of a crucial period in the band's evolution.

One of the advantages of the EP is that it is a good way to try new sounds without a large investment in time or money. This EP works well as a great introduction to Mogwai's style of Post-rock music. There are other EPs that don't work as well, but this one gives you a good balanced sample of their instrumental music.

The EP comes in 3 different versions; one with 4 tracks, another with the same tracks with 2 more added, and another with those 4 tracks plus 6 more added. The latter ends up being the same length as an album, so it works the best. As far as this review goes, the 4 base tracks still give a good example as you have 2 heavy tracks (1 and 4) and 2 lighter, mellower tracks (2 and 3). All of them are great, though I tend to be attracted to the softer side of Mogwai because I love the beauty and simplicity of these songs, but all of them are great examples of post-rock genius.

Mogwai does not fall into the trap that some post-rock bands do of following the typical formula of starting out soft and doing a slow crescendo to a loud climax. It's good to see that the best post-rock bands are venturing away from that formula and Mogwai is no exception. Mogwai is very good at variety and doesn't always have to have lengthy tracks to complete their musical ideas, though they have several lengthy ones also. Their music also utilizes a lot of keyboards and percussive instruments, it isn't always centered around guitars. Even when it does center around guitars though, it isn't always the same "wall of noise" texture either. Variety is the key word in Mogwai's music and the reason why I consider them one of the best post-rock bands in existence right now. I rank them right up there with the best.

This EP itself, however, works as a great introduction to those testing the waters, and is also one of their best EPs. Since I am reviewing the 4-track EP for a stand alone work, my own complaint is that it isn't long enough, of course. Other than that, I still consider it an excellent addition to any collection, but I would search for the EP + 6 version over the 4 track unless you just want a sampling of the music. 4 stars.