Rock Action (album)

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Rock Action
Studio album by
Mogwai
Released30 April 2001 (2001-04-30)
Studio
Genre
Length38:28
LabelMatador
ProducerDave Fridmann
Mogwai chronology
Come On Die Young
(1999) 		Rock Action
(2001) 		Happy Songs for Happy People
(2003)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Alternative Press4/5[3]
Blender[4]
The Boston Phoenix[5]
The Guardian[6]
NME8/10[7]
Pitchfork8.0/10[8]
Q[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Spin8/10[11]

Rock Action is the third studio album by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai. The album was produced by Dave Fridmann of Mercury Rev in New York.[12]

Overview[edit]

Rock Action brought with it some changes to Mogwai's sound that they would continue to develop later, including the use of electronic instruments. While song structures on this album are typical of the band in most cases and respects, some of the contrasting dynamics have been toned down slightly and many of the songs focus more on texture than on structure. For the first time, Mogwai utilised synthesizers, expanding their timbral palette. The tone of Rock Action is somewhat less dark than previous works, but maintains Mogwai's cryptic cynicism.

The single "Dial: Revenge" features Welsh vocals from Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals.[12] Rhys has said of the song title: "I think (Mogwai) were into me writing in Welsh, because they're an instrumental band and they wanted a singer who would be just sounds for most people. Back then, people were still using payphones. When you take a payphone off the hook, on the LCD screen it flashes 'DIAL'. But in Welsh, dial – pronounced 'dee-al' – means revenge. It puts you in a weird place when you're making a phone call. So the song was about that."[13] The song "2 "Rights Make 1 Wrong" was originally titled "Banjo".[14]

The photographs that make up the artwork for the album were taken in a bar in Glasgow called Nice 'n' Sleazy. When the inside cover is unfolded, part of the logo for Mwng, an album by Super Furry Animals released the previous year, can be seen.

In 2009, Rock Action was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association, which indicated sales of at least 100,000 copies throughout Europe.[15]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Mogwai (Dominic Aitchison, Stuart Braithwaite, Martin Bulloch, Barry Burns and John Cummings), except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sine Wave" 4:55
2."Take Me Somewhere Nice" 6:57
3."O I Sleep" 0:55
4."Dial: Revenge"
3:28
5."You Don't Know Jesus" 8:02
6."Robot Chant" 1:03
7."2 Rights Make 1 Wrong" 9:31
8."Secret Pint" 3:37
Total length:38:28
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
9."Untitled"7:16
10."Close Encounters"3:54
Total length:49:38

Personnel[edit]

Mogwai
Additional musicians
  • David Pajo – backing vocals on "Take Me Somewhere Nice"
  • Gruff Rhys – vocals on "Dial: Revenge", backing vocals on "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong"
  • The Remote Viewer – programming and banjo on "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong"
  • Willie Campbell – backing vocals on "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong"
  • Charlie Clark – backing vocals on "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong"
  • Gary Lightbody – backing vocals on "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong"
  • Michael Brawley – strings and horns on "Take Me Somewhere Nice" and "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong"
  • Dave Fridmann – strings and horns on "Dial: Revenge" and "Secret Pint"
Production
  • Dave Fridmann – production, mixing, recording
  • Tony Doogan – recording
  • Willie Deans – engineering (assistant, at CaVa Studios)
  • Bill Racine – engineering (assistant, at Sorcerer Sound Studios)
  • Vella Design – design, art
  • Steve Gullick – photography

Charts[edit]

Chart (2001) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[16] 82
Scottish Albums (OCC)[17] 20
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 23
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[19] 4
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[20] 20
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[21] 16

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Reviews for Rock Action by Mogwai". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  2. ^ Phares, Heather. "Rock Action – Mogwai". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Mogwai: Rock Action". Alternative Press (155): 78. June 2001.
  4. ^ Gross, Joe (June–July 2001). "Mogwai: Rock Action". Blender (1): 114. Archived from the original on 20 August 2004. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  5. ^ Perry, Jonathan (17–23 May 2001). "Mogwai: Rock Action (Matador)". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  6. ^ Aizlewood, John (27 April 2001). "We will rock you". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  7. ^ Segal, Victoria (26 April 2001). "Mogwai : Rock Action". NME. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  8. ^ LeMay, Matt (30 April 2001). "Mogwai: Rock Action". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Mogwai: Rock Action". Q (176): 114. May 2001.
  10. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Mogwai". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 551. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  11. ^ Greenwald, Andy (May 2001). "Mogwai: Rock Action / Arab Strap: The Red Thread". Spin. 17 (5): 147. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  12. ^ a b Beaujon, Andrew (2001) "Mouth Almighty", SPIN, June 2001, retrieved 2010-04-17
  13. ^ Pattison, Louis (2011) "[1]", Guardian, February 2011, retrieved 2011-02-24
  14. ^ "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong" on Bright Light!
  15. ^ "color". www.impalamusic.org. Archived from the original on 27 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Lescharts.com – Mogwai – Rock Action". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  18. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  19. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  20. ^ "Mogwai Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  21. ^ "Mogwai Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
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