MOGWAI/GANGER
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Some of what’s being tagged “post-rock” over in Britain at this point sounds suspiciously like the sort of slow, hypnotic guitar rock that American bands like Codeine, Slint, and Seam played in the early and mid-90s. Glasgow’s Mogwai have been critical darlings since releasing the rather workmanlike Slint imitation Young Team (Jetset) a couple years ago, but their new Come On Die Young (Matador), produced by Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev knob twirler Dave Fridmann, lives up to the hype. The formula isn’t radically different: most of the tunes are built from quietly articulated interlocking guitar arpeggios, a funereal bass line, and low-key drum patter; some, like “Ex-Cowboy,” shift from hazy drifting to walloping volume, while others, like the vaguely twangy “Cody,” gradually gain in density and ornamentation, simply ending when the development has played itself out. But this time Mogwai’s soft-loud tinkering transcends the cliche–the execution is flawless, and every dynamic leap has its place in a greater compositional logic. Mogwai’s fellow Glaswegians Ganger don’t imitate Slint–they’re more interested in the dual-bass tanglings of early Tortoise. On last year’s Hammock Style (Merge), the foursome colored its tight bass patterns with subtle, Sonic Youth-esque guitar drones and taut, punchy drumming that suggested the relentless throb of Neu! or Kraftwerk. Its forthcoming EP, Canopy, puts a little flesh on the album’s bare-bones approach, with warmer bass sounds and more active guitar parts. Friday, 10 PM, Metro, 3730 N. Clark; 773-549-0203. PETER MARGASAK
