Come On Die Young
Encyclopedia
Come On Die Young is the second full-length studio album by the Scottish post-rock
band Mogwai
, released on 29 March 1999 by Chemikal Underground
.
, slide guitar
and relatively prominent vocals. Much of Come On Die Young consists of slow, quiet, drum-driven tracks containing tense, feedback
-laden crescendo
s and occasionally ambient textures. Near the end of the album, the bombastic "Christmas Steps
" breaks away from this quiet tension and displays a return to Mogwai's more well-known distortion-heavy dynamics. The album's title derives from a Glasgow gang of the same name.
Additional musicians
Production
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:...
, released on 29 March 1999 by Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 by Glasgow, Scotland rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in the nineties....
.
Overview
It is somewhat different from the rest of Mogwai's work because of its reserved tone. The album's second track, "Cody" is much more like a traditional pop song than most of the band's repertoire. Still slow and meandering, it features an uncharacteristically distinct melodyMelody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
, slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
and relatively prominent vocals. Much of Come On Die Young consists of slow, quiet, drum-driven tracks containing tense, feedback
Audio feedback
Audio feedback is a special kind of positive feedback which occurs when a sound loop exists between an audio input and an audio output...
-laden crescendo
Crescendo
-In music:*Crescendo, a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases, see Dynamics * Crescendo , a Liverpool-based electronic pop band* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", one of Duke Ellington's longer-form compositions...
s and occasionally ambient textures. Near the end of the album, the bombastic "Christmas Steps
Christmas Steps (song)
"Christmas Steps" is a song by Scottish post-rock group Mogwai, from the 1999 album, Come On Die Young. The original version of the song, entitled "Xmas Steps", appears on the 1998 EP, No Education = No Future .-Overview:...
" breaks away from this quiet tension and displays a return to Mogwai's more well-known distortion-heavy dynamics. The album's title derives from a Glasgow gang of the same name.
Critical reaction
It received a somewhat muted reception when compared to Mogwai Young Team. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, writing for Allmusic, wrote:Track listing
All songs and music were written by Mogwai.- "Punk Rock:" – 2:08
- "Cody" – 6:33
- "Helps Both Ways" – 4:53
- "Year 2000 Non-Compliant Cardia" – 3:25
- "Kappa" – 4:52
- "Waltz for Aidan" – 3:44
- "May Nothing But Happiness Come Through Your Door" – 8:29
- "Oh! How the Dogs Stack Up" – 2:03
- "Ex-Cowboy" – 9:09
- "Chocky" – 9:23
- "Christmas StepsChristmas Steps (song)"Christmas Steps" is a song by Scottish post-rock group Mogwai, from the 1999 album, Come On Die Young. The original version of the song, entitled "Xmas Steps", appears on the 1998 EP, No Education = No Future .-Overview:...
" – 10:39 - "Punk Rock/Puff Daddy/ANʇICHRISʇ" – 2:14
Trivia
- "Punk Rock:" samples a speech made by Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
during an interview on the CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, broadcast on 11 March 1977. - The album cover, which features the face of Dominic AitchisonDominic AitchisonDominic Aitchison is a Scottish bassist. He is best known as the bassist and founding member of post-rock band Mogwai. Aside from Mogwai, he also plays bass guitar in Crippled Black Phoenix and Stage Blood....
, was inspired by Captain HowdyPazuzu (The Exorcist)Pazuzu is a fictional character and the main antagonist in The Exorcist horror novels and film series created by William Peter Blatty. Blatty derived the character from Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, where Pazuzu was considered the king of the demons of the wind, and son of the god Hanbi...
from The ExorcistThe ExorcistThe Exorcist is a novel of supernatural suspense by William Peter Blatty, published by Harper & Row in 1971. It was inspired by a 1949 case of demonic possession and exorcism that Blatty heard about while he was a student in the class of 1950 at Georgetown University, a Jesuit school...
. - The 'Aidan' mentioned in the title of "Waltz for Aidan" is presumably Aidan MoffatAidan MoffatAidan John Moffat is a Scottish vocalist and musician, best known for his work with Malcolm Middleton in Arab Strap.-Early life:...
from fellow Scottish band Arab StrapArab Strap (band)Arab Strap were an indie rock band from Scotland that consisted of core members Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, and split in 2006...
. Moffat provided vocals for the songs "R U Still in 2 It" and "Now You're TakenNow You're Taken"Now You're Taken" is a song by Scottish post-rock group Mogwai, which originally appeared on the 4 Satin EP in 1997, then later on the compilation album EP+6 in 2000.-Overview:...
" on Mogwai's debut albumMogwai Young TeamMogwai Young Team is the debut studio album by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai.-Overview:Mogwai Young Team was recorded in Summer 1997 at MCM Studios in Hamilton, Scotland, and was produced by Paul Savage and Andy Miller...
and EP4 Satin4 Satin is an EP by Scottish post-rock group Mogwai, released in 1997 in the UK and the US through Chemikal Underground and Jetset respectively.-Overview:4 Satin is Mogwai's debut EP...
, respectively. - The song "Cody" featured in the second episode of the first series of teen drama SkinsSkins (TV series)Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
.
Personnel
Mogwai- Stuart BraithwaiteStuart BraithwaiteStuart Leslie Braithwaite is a Scottish guitarist, bassist, drummer, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist of post rock band Mogwai, with whom he has recorded seven studio albums.-Early life :...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
on "Cody" - Dominic AitchisonDominic AitchisonDominic Aitchison is a Scottish bassist. He is best known as the bassist and founding member of post-rock band Mogwai. Aside from Mogwai, he also plays bass guitar in Crippled Black Phoenix and Stage Blood....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Martin Bulloch – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- John Cummings – guitar
- Barry BurnsBarry BurnsBarry 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...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, guitar, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
Additional musicians
- Richard Formby – lap steel guitarLap steel guitarThe lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
on "Cody" - Luke SutherlandLuke SutherlandLuke Sutherland is an English-born Scottish novelist and musician.-Biography:Sutherland was brought up in Orkney and Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross by his adoptive Scottish parents, who moved to Scotland from Lincolnshire in 1976. He was educated at Glasgow University, where he read English and...
– violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello.... - Wayne Myers – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
on "Punk Rock/Puff Daddy/Antichrist" - Dave FridmannDave FridmannDave Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. From 1990 onwards he co-produced all releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips...
- various instruments
Production
- Dave Fridmann – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...