"The whole CD is definitely nice, but I find myself skipping over 'Angles v. Aliens' 'I Am Batman' and 'Tuner' most of the time. Fine songs, but not the best. I could (and have) listen(ed) to 'Helicon 2' for hours. 'Summer' is excellent, much better than the remix on Young Team. 'Helicon 1' is very good, if a little forced, always putting me in the mind of the home of the muses. 'Ithaca' gets pretty heavy in a good way, a little different from any other Mogwai I've heard. 'A Place for Parks' is pleasant and just disoncerting enough to warrant repeat listenings. 'End' is damn cool.
I wouldn't recommend this as an intro to Mogwai- Young Team or Government Commissions would be better, I think. But the Helicons, Ithaca, End, and Summer are high up on my short list of favorite songs. Anyone who likes other Mogwai would almost surely not regret having bought this."
They're nice but......
filterite | Dublin, Ireland | 01/27/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"With the songs all short they don't really have room to roam around - there needs to be some sort of space within them. As it stands it sounds a bit too cramped and compressed. There would be much better stuff to come from Mogwai. This shows they had potential.....they just needed a little bit of space"
Poised for greatness
IRate | 03/14/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"2 1/2 stars
Even before an official debut, these young lads from scotland were already proving their relationship with music far exceeded their peers..Yes this is probally the least amazing of Mogwai's catalouge, but within the subtlties you see the ingrediants that would help make Mogwai one of the standout bands of the new millenium..This album has more breezy, relaxed tracks then what we are used to dealing with when plunging into the abyss with these guys, however the essence of the band and it's die hard philosphy of letting a composition breath as long as it needs to is in full effect. Amazing that a band so young could be so sincere in it's goal of pure audio immersion."
Is it weird that this is one of my favorite mogwai releases?
T. Kraft | Not where you are | 03/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I know, I know. I should like Young Team. I should like Come On Die Young. But I can't help but feel that some of Mogwai's best material is on this disc. The beautiful "Summer", the powerful "Ithica", and of course the classic "Helicon 1" are all brilliant pieces of mogwai's catalogue. Don't be hatin' this disc - I purchased this mid-way through my mogwai listening career and was not dissapointed at all."