‘Rave Tapes’, released way, way back in January, found Mogwai in a good spot. It was tightly-wound but just that bit adventurous, with their guitar workouts complemented by dashes of menacing synth and surprisingly warm melodies.
Just under a year on we have ‘Music Industry 3. Fitness Industry 1.’, an EP of originals and ‘Rave Tapes’ remixes that hangs together remarkably well. Its centrepiece is Teenage Exorcists, a startlingly straightforward indie-rock song that also happens to be one of the best of the year.
Driving, fiercely melodic and enjoyably contrary, it’s the pick of the new boys, although History Day is an expansive treat that benefits from a glitchy outro. HMP Shaun Ryder, meanwhile, wins extra credit for a great title, but feels a little like going over old ground.
Fuck Buttons’ Benjamin John Power, here working under his Blanck Mass moniker, has a fine time taking Remurdered into even more sketchy territory on Re-Remurdered, a reinterpretation of the track that puts a stop to the original’s momentum and instead creates a percolating blend of beats and choppy synth lines, amping up the fear and refusing to get comfortable.
Pye Corner Audio take a different approach. Their look at No Medicine For Regret reaches into the grand insides of the song and turns them inside out, recasting its widescreen ending as another dense, percussive exercise in atmospherics.
The gold star belongs to Nils Frahm, however, for his remoulding of The Lord Is Out Of Control. Already spare and very pretty, in his hands, and with his mastery of dynamics at play, it becomes hauntingly beautiful and a fine counterpoint to Mogwai’s initial statement.
‘Music Industry 3. Fitness Industry 1.’ isn’t a completists-only type deal. It’s engaging, thought-provoking and, bar the odd misstep, another worthy addition to Mogwai’s canon.
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