Having emerged during the late-1990s post-rock boom, the Scottish quintet used every means possible to distance themselves from the sullen stereotype that defined so many instrumental art-rock brooders of their era. I donвЂ™t know if we completely succeeded, but it was fun trying.Though few of their songs contain actual words, Mogwai have always been fond of big statements. The sound we were making and that Godspeed You! Black Emperor were making, was becoming almost fashionableвЂ¦so we used that as motivation to do something specifically different with the music. Rock Action can then be interpreted as a statement: вЂњThatвЂ™s not all we are.вЂќ Braithwaite agrees: вЂњThat was a big part of it. At the time, Mogwai was categorized as post-rock. ItвЂ™s always interesting to find out if a bandвЂ™s new direction is brought on more from external or internal forces. HeвЂ™s quite happy thereвЂ™s still the interest in that era in MogwaiвЂ™s evolution to make such a pursuit worthwhile. Barry was prolific and he remains prolific.вЂќДЄccording to Braithwaite, the comparatively brief Rock Action had many more recordings that didnвЂ™t make the final eight song cut, so the plan is to put out an expanded version. ItвЂ™s the first of our records that had as much keyboards as it did guitar. вЂњBarry joined the band quite far into recording Come on Die Young, but on Rock Action, he was involved really heavily,вЂќ explains Braithwaite. The inclusion of these new elements sets Rock Action apart as perhaps MogwaiвЂ™s most imaginative effort and the arrival of multi-instrumentalist Barry Burns was a further catalyst for dimensional expansion. Maybe subconsciously we felt like weвЂ™d never get the chance again, so we wanted to try those things.вЂќ By the time we got to Rock Action, we had opportunities that we hadnвЂ™t had before.

Our first record was really bare bones, Come on Die Young less so. вЂњI think a lot of that was just having the opportunity.

Braithwaite reintroduced his whispery drawl and Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals lent his Welsh chant to the acoustically winding Dial: Revenge. The vocals in particular added the presence of shadowy character scarcely seen in MogwaiвЂ™s earlier settings. We really worked on things in the studio with Dave.вЂќ The result was a novel sound that incorporated electronic, orchestral, and vocal elements they had yet to explore. Whereas Rock Action was more of a studio record. WeвЂ™d play those songs and Dave just recorded it really wellвЂ¦. вЂњ Come on Die Young was a rehearsal room record. The venerable Fridmann had also produced MogwaiвЂ™s previous album, Come on Die Young, a very different record sonically. This is kind of funny timing too because it was the last record we made with Dave Fridmann and weвЂ™re actually going back to record with him in a couple weeks!вЂќ We had just signed a large record deal, so it felt pretty big-time. вЂњWe spent a long time making it and kind of pulled out all the stops. вЂњ Rock Action was a very different record for us,вЂќ recalls co-founder Stuart Braithwaite 15 years later. Refusing to be contained by the parameters of genre, Mogwai headed into the recording of their third album, Rock Action, determined to distinguish themselves with an enhanced and diversified effort. MogwaiвЂ™s first two records of alternately sweeping and pulverizing guitar composition had navigated them into the stormy realms of post-rock, where they reigned with a brooding mystique. Back in 2001, their legacy was only just beginning to materialize. Mogwai are an enduring and majestic band, singular in their fiercely integral approach to the dramatic rock instrumentalism they have defined and transcended.

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