Mogwai — Government Commissions

Government Commissions

PIAS/BBC

Marc Boudignon (CHARTattack)

02/22/2005 2:16pm

Aptly titled Government Commissions is a collection of Mogwai tracks recorded between 1996 and 2003 for the BBC. It opens with a synth-triggered bang on "Hunted By A Freak," but these songs are, for the most part, experiments in atmosphere and rhythm. Mogwai keep the vocals to a minimum and turn the amps up to 11, but only when absolutely required. Evidence of this can be found on the track "Like Herod" which, at 18 and a half minutes, is an exhausting, exhilarating and explosive blend of brooding bass and guitar noise — the kind of recording our CBC would do well to emulate.

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