Mogwai - Travel Is Dangerous
[PIAS]

Cycling and Oxford go together like bread and butter. Some find this strange; others accept it and promptly jump on a bike and proclaim they feel like a child. To others it is an opportunity to stick in the headphones as one gently meanders through the streets.

On this occasion the accompaniment to the outing was the latest EP from Mogwai was released in June, titled: Travel is Dangerous. Mogwai released a full album learlier in the year, Mr Beast. An introduction to the sounds of Mogwai, Travel is Dangerous is the opening track and is present on the aforementioned new album.

Auto Rock (Errors remix) was enjoyed due the absence of vocals, strengthen by the keyboard and underlying guitar rift. A departure from the traditional Mogwai sound, Errors add a funk that is usually missing, but not necessarily missed. The Acid Casuals remix of Friend Of The Night, is fairly mellow in comparison to the almost upbeat funkiness of Auto Rock.

Like Herod was recorded live, as Mogwai attempt to capture their stage presence on CD and it is an epic. At over ten minutes long, it is not hard to see how Mogwai became known for their prog rock style, as the guitar rifts twist and turn, the drone echoes and screeches to fade out into white noise accompanied by a side that is reminiscence of an electronic frog crossed with a cricket.

We’re No Here, recorded live, winds in. The feedback of the guitar hangs above the slow keyboard playing and loops in and out. An example of the "distinctive style of apocalyptic, yet deeply humanised noise across four albums, establishing the transcendentally effective quiet-loud/quiet-loud dynamic as their very own", as described on their MySpace page.

Refreshing to hear a band without vocals, allows for the opportunity to be swept away on an ambiguous daydream. Now just for some longer cycle rides...