A couple of years ago at a friend's party in Montréal, I spent some time talking about music with a girl from Vienna who, upon learning of our shared taste for bands like Sigur Rós and Muse, told me that I should really check out Mogwai. A day or two later, I made my way to downtown Montréal and picked up Ten Rapid as well as Come On Die Young. I liked them both, but I wouldn't say I loved them. I wasn't quite sure what all the fuss was about, though I did think they had a gift for simple yet compelling hooks.

A few months ago, I started reading a webcomic called Questionable Content that, among other things, regularly and lovingly pokes fun at the indie rock and indie rock fandom. It's an amusing strip. Judging by the author's news posts, which accompany the daily comics, my taste isn't that similar to his, but there's enough overlap that I read his list of recommended 2005-2006 albums with some interest. On that list I spied Mr. Beast. I didn't know that Mogwai had a new album out, and when he referred to it as their "heaviest record to date," I was sold.

True to my expectations, it rocks. There isn't much of the clean guitar diddling that CODY is built around; in its place is the double-barreled assault of full chording and meaty distortion. The hooks are still simple, and as spectacular as ever. The piano melody that Friend of the Night builds to gets stuck in my head on a regular basis, even when I haven't been listening to it.

The album does have its quiet moments, but for me these work best as interludes between bouts of heavier material -- though they're decent, I don't find that they stand as well individually as the heavier tracks do. As a whole, though, it's a cohesive, moving, solid record.

Vocals, as usual, are largely absent. It didn't bother me in the slightest, though people who listen to music for lyrics first and music second may find themselves bored.
My copy of the album, downloaded from iTMS, came with two live tracks as well. Those are nothing special; they sound pretty much like the album versions.

Mr. Beast is definitely my favourite of the three Mogwai albums I now own. It's pretty accesible, too, so it's a good place to start for people who don't own any Mogwai or have never heard of them. As long as such people also like heavy riffs, that is.

The Record: Mr. Beast (Mogwai), 2006
One-line verdict: Compelling.
Standount Tracks: Auto Rock, Glasgow Mega-Snake, Friend of the Night, We're No Here