Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People

Compared to Rock Action that added varied instrumentation and vocals to the mix, Mogwai scales back to the more classicist post-Godspeed You Black Emperor styled post-rock style for Happy Songs for Happy People. If there are vocals, they are either vocoderized or buried low in the mix. "Hunted by a Freak" with its vocoderized song manages to be quite evocative, some of the slower and shorter songs sound inspired by Spiritualized, such as "Moses? I Amn't" and "Boring Machines Disturbs Sleep" (the only track with non-vocoder vocals). For a good dose of classic quiet-loud dynamic based instrumental rock, look no further than "Killing All the Flies" and "Ratts of the Capital". Usually this is a very introverted and quiet album, sometimes quite lovely (like "Kids Will Be Skeletons") but occasionally a bit dull. Newcomers might want to check out Rock Action, but those who like the second wave of post-rock (that is, the variation of the genre based on brooding instrumental guitar rock with quiet-loud formula) might dig this one as well.