Mogwai - Kicking A Dead Pig

The first time I heard Mogwai, I wondered how long it would be until they fell prey to the remix album concept. The experimental / art rock band had a knack for creating instrumental pieces that were just begging for the treatment (although they stand well on their own). The release is actually a 2CD set of remixes from their Ten Rapid and Young Team releases, one disc contains 9 tracks remixed by the likes of Alec Empire, Kid Loco, and Klute, while the second disc contains the 4-song EP MogwaiFearSatan remixes (including U-ziq and My Bloody Valentine). From the list of above artists, it's easy to tell they at least had some big names involved.

The degrees of success vary from decent to exceptional, and some of the tracks even surpass their predecessor. The Hood mix of "Like Herod" goes through several incarnations in the course of 7 minutes, and although it's toned down from the original, it still manages to capture the mood. Kid Loco's mix of "Tracy" holds onto the delicate intricacies of the original, but still manages to take it other places. One of the best re-workings is by 2 members of Mogwai. Their reconstruction of the epic "Mogwai Fear Satan" still clocks in at 10 minutes, and it's layered progression provides a beautiful compliment to the original. While a couple of the tracks falter a bit (like Alec Empires by-the-numbers (for him) reworking of "Like Herrod"), it still makes for one of the more interesting remix albums of late and a must for fans of Mogwai.

Rating: 7.5

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