Ok. Here is a review of Mogwai's EP My Father, My King
Mogwai - My Father My King (2001)
I remember first hearing the 20+ minute track which makes up this companion disc to 2001's Rock Action on my way to school on WRVU 91.1FM, Vanderbilt University's radio station.
Even though I arrived at my destination just minutes into the epic instrumental, I sat in my car for the remainder of the song hoping that the DJ would say who it was at the end. And it just kept going and going and going. Finally, it came to an end and as a result, I went out and bought Mogwai's entire catalog up to that point (oh, and I was late for class).
The melody of the song is taken from a traditional Jewish hymnal of the same name and it slowly builds from restrained serenity to complete feedback-laden cacophony, which makes perfect sense since it was recorded by Steve Albini, who has mastered the dynamics of quiet/loud with bands like the Pixies, Nirvana, PJ Harvey and countless others (some on this list).
Although Mogwai has crafted several classic post-rock albums like 1997's Young Team, 2006's Mr. Beast and the aforementioned Rock Action, My Father My King remains my favorite release of theirs and one that I keep revisiting for its sheer dramatic potency.
Now, when I saw these guys on Thursday at a local venue they played that 20+ minute song on that EP in the encore. The rest of the show was fantastic and I think that encore may have been the strongest I've seen.
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