"Auto Rock" is a song by Scottish

Scottish people

The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...

 post-rock

Post-rock

Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...

 band Mogwai

Mogwai

The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...

 that appears as the first track on their album Mr. Beast.

Musical structure

The song is built around a piano riff (with only the use of black keys) played by Barry Burns

Barry Burns

Barry Burns is a Scottish musician best known for his work with post-rock band Mogwai.-Early life:Burns went to Cardinal Newman High School in Bellshill before enrolling with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, taking up a Bachelor of Education degree in teaching music. He did...

, and march-like drums, which slowly builds in volume and intensity. It was, at one point, used as a set opener on the Mr Beast

Mr Beast

Mr Beast is the fifth full-length studio album by the Scottish post-rock group Mogwai.-Overview:The album Mr Beast was released on March 6, 2006 in the UK and March 7, 2006 in the United States, in double LP vinyl format, a regular CD jewel case edition and limited deluxe edition package that comes...

 tour, as well as most of the 2009 tour.

Appearances

• The song has been used recurringly in BBC
  BBC
  The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
  
   motoring
  Motoring
  Motoring may refer to:* 310 Motoring, an automotive customization garage based in Los Angeles, California* AA Motoring Trust* Best Motoring International, Japanese automobile magazine* Driving* Motoring...
  
   magazine show, Top Gear
  Top Gear (current format)
  Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
  
  .

• It has also featured in the build-up to the Formula 1 2011 British Silverstone Grand Prix

• It is featured in the trailer for the film The Brave One
  The Brave One (2007 film)
  The Brave One is a 2007 crime-drama/psychological thriller film directed by Neil Jordan, produced by Joel Silver, and starring Jodie Foster. It was released in the United States on September 14, 2007...
  
  .

• It is featured prominently at the end of the 2006 film Miami Vice
  Miami Vice (film)
  Miami Vice is a 2006 American crime drama film about two Miami police detectives, Crockett and Tubbs, who go undercover to fight drug trafficking operations. The film is a loose adaptation of the 1980s TV series of the same name, written, produced, and directed by Michael Mann...
  
  . In addition, the central piano riff is a citation of Crockett's Theme
  Crockett's Theme
  "Crockett's Theme" is an instrumental song written for the hit NBC series Miami Vice. The surname Crockett refers to Don Johnson's character, James "Sonny" Crockett. The initial version of the theme first appeared in the episode Calderone's Return: Part 1 - The Hit List which aired on October 19,...
  
   that Jan Hammer wrote in 1984 for the original Miami Vice
  Miami Vice
  Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
  
  series.

• Jeremy Clarkson
  Jeremy Clarkson
  Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
  
   has also used it in his documentary The Greatest Raid of All Time.

• It is used in the Lance Armstrong
  Lance Armstrong
  Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
  
   commercial "Driven" for Nike
  Nike, Inc.
  Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
  
  .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph6Gd2Cg4gc

• The song is used as part of the soundtrack for the 2007 global warming awareness film The 11th Hour
  The 11th Hour (film)
  The 11th Hour is a 2007 documentary film, created, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, on the state of the natural environment. It was directed by Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners and financed by Adam Lewis and Pierre André Senizergues, and distributed by Warner Independent...
  
  . It can be heard on the menu of the DVD version of the film.

• The song is used on the trailer for the ITV series "Father and Son".

• The song is also used in Aubrey Graham
  Drake (entertainer)
  Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
  
  's MTV documentary "Better Than Good Enough".

• The song has also been used a couple of times in BBC's Holby City.

• A remixed version of the song is featured in the trailer for the Canadian thriller film 7 Days.