Mogwai - ‘Travel Is Dangerous EP’ (Pias) Released 26/06/06

Any of you that saved your coppers after Christmas and three months later purchased the goliath of a return to form for Mogwai that is ’Mr Beast’ will already know that the title track from this EP is a contemplative, feed back strewn, squalling masterpiece of post rock. Melancholic vocals are overshadowed by humungous slabs of electric riffage interspersed with desolate movements of a more melodic nature. Then we move on to something completely different but just as hair raising. The Errors remix of ‘Auto Rock’ meanders through glitching, technoid landscapes taking the Scots and the listener on a outer space adventure before we are returned home for the more organic and out of body beats of ‘Friend of The Night’ expertly reworked by Acid Casuals. Then follows two live tracks, the first of which is the brooding twelve minute devil raising ’Like Herod’ which builds through acoustic guitar, keys, tentative cymbals, reverbing electronica and eventually into the mother of all thrashing crescendo’s to amazing effect. Finally we’re treated to a truly haunting rendition of ‘We’re No Here’ with mouths left agog at the sheer beauty of something so brutally and exponentially dark. A tour de force, will the hallowed halls of the Royal Albert Hall be able to take it?