TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #94 Mogwai: Young Team (1997) <Chemikal Underground> Genre: Post-Rock Nationality: UK (Glasgow, Scotland) Few bands know the “loud-soft-loud” approach to music as well as Mogwai.  Their level of control over their instruments is nothing short of incredible.  Young Team, Mogwai’s groundbreaking debut, stands the test of time as one of the greatest post rock records ever made.  And although the band refuses to be labeled as such, there’s no denying the sound on Young Team that would influence so many post rock bands to follow.  If anything, it helped kickstart a new direction in the genre, opting for a more melodic, cinematic approach.  Of course, this isn’t to say that Young Team isn’t hard rocking.  There are tracks on here (specifically “Like Herod” and “Mogwai Fear Satan”) that rival the shoegazing wall of sound feedback of My Bloody Valentine.  It’s a thrilling record to listen to, especially at the highest volume possible.  Turned down, Young Team can lose some of its value.  Only when turned up does Young Team provide the full effect Mogwai were intending.  The quietest moments on the album are almost heart stopping, suggesting a sort of free fall, like what happens to your stomach when you drive down a really steep hill.  You almost want to hold your breath until the inevitable giant climax comes crashing in, an explosion not unlike the greatest and biggest supernovae.  Young Team truly represents the best of both periods of post rock, from the early, almost metal sound of Slint, to the epic and grand beauty of Sigur Ros. Key Tracks: “Yes!  I Am A Long Way From Home,” “Mogwai Fear Satan,” “Like Herod” For Fans Of: Sigur Ros, Explosions In The Sky, Slint

TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #94

Mogwai: Young Team (1997) <Chemikal Underground>

Genre: Post-Rock

Nationality: UK (Glasgow, Scotland)

Few bands know the “loud-soft-loud” approach to music as well as Mogwai.  Their level of control over their instruments is nothing short of incredible.  Young Team, Mogwai’s groundbreaking debut, stands the test of time as one of the greatest post rock records ever made.  And although the band refuses to be labeled as such, there’s no denying the sound on Young Team that would influence so many post rock bands to follow.  If anything, it helped kickstart a new direction in the genre, opting for a more melodic, cinematic approach.  Of course, this isn’t to say that Young Team isn’t hard rocking.  There are tracks on here (specifically “Like Herod” and “Mogwai Fear Satan”) that rival the shoegazing wall of sound feedback of My Bloody Valentine.  It’s a thrilling record to listen to, especially at the highest volume possible.  Turned down, Young Team can lose some of its value.  Only when turned up does Young Team provide the full effect Mogwai were intending.  The quietest moments on the album are almost heart stopping, suggesting a sort of free fall, like what happens to your stomach when you drive down a really steep hill.  You almost want to hold your breath until the inevitable giant climax comes crashing in, an explosion not unlike the greatest and biggest supernovae.  Young Team truly represents the best of both periods of post rock, from the early, almost metal sound of Slint, to the epic and grand beauty of Sigur Ros.

Key Tracks: “Yes!  I Am A Long Way From Home,” “Mogwai Fear Satan,” “Like Herod”

For Fans Of: Sigur Ros, Explosions In The Sky, Slint