Come On Die Young

Come On Die Young
Studio album by Mogwai
Released	29 March 1999
Recorded	Tarbox Road Studios, Cassadaga, New York, USA, Cava Studios, Glasgow, Scotland
Genre	Post-rock, experimental rock
Length	67:32
Label	Chemikal Underground, Matador
Producer	Dave Fridmann
Mogwai chronology
Mogwai Young Team (1997) Come On Die Young (1999) Rock Action (2001)

Come On Die Young (also known as CODY), is the second full-length studio album by the Scottish post-rock band Mogwai, released on 29 March 1999 by Chemikal Underground.

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 melody, slide guitar and relatively prominent vocals. Much of Come On Die Young consists of slow, quiet, drum-driven tracks containing tense, feedback-laden crescendos 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.^[1]

Critical reaction

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Pitchfork Media	(6.1/10)[3]
Rolling Stone
Drowned in Sound	(10/10)[4]

It received a somewhat muted reception when compared to Mogwai Young Team. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, writing for Allmusic, wrote:

“

Perhaps Come On Die Young wouldn't have seemed as disappointing if it hadn't arrived on the wave of hype and expectation, but the truth is, it pales in comparison to their own work.

”

Track listing

All songs and music were written by Mogwai.

1. "Punk Rock:" – 2:08
2. "Cody" – 6:33
3. "Helps Both Ways" – 4:53
4. "Year 2000 Non-Compliant Cardia" – 3:25
5. "Kappa" – 4:52
6. "Waltz for Aidan" – 3:44
7. "May Nothing But Happiness Come Through Your Door" – 8:29
8. "Oh! How the Dogs Stack Up" – 2:03
9. "Ex-Cowboy" – 9:09
10. "Chocky" – 9:23
11. "Christmas Steps" – 10:39
12. "Punk Rock/Puff Daddy/ANʇICHRISʇ" – 2:14

Trivia

• "Punk Rock:" samples a speech made by Iggy Pop during an interview on the CBC, broadcast on 11 March 1977.^[5]
• The album cover, which features the face of Dominic Aitchison, was inspired by Captain Howdy from The Exorcist.
• The 'Aidan' mentioned in the title of "Waltz for Aidan" is presumably Aidan Moffat from fellow Scottish band Arab Strap. Moffat provided vocals for the songs "R U Still in 2 It" and "Now You're Taken" on Mogwai's debut album and EP, respectively.
• The song "Cody" featured in the second episode of the first series of teen drama Skins.

Personnel

Mogwai

• Stuart Braithwaite – guitar, vocals on "Cody"
• Dominic Aitchison – bass guitar
• Martin Bulloch – drums
• John Cummings – guitar
• Barry Burns – piano, keyboard, guitar, flute

Additional musicians

• Richard Formby – lap steel guitar on "Cody"
• Luke Sutherland – violin
• Wayne Myers – trombone on "Punk Rock/Puff Daddy/Antichrist"
• Dave Fridmann - various instruments

Production

• Dave Fridmann – producer

References

1. ^ Douglas Wolk (May 1999). "The Scottish Scoundrels in Mogwai Give Glasgow a Good Name". CMJ New Music Monthly (69): p. 27. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8yoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA27&dq=mogwai&client=firefox-a&cd=2#v=onepage&q=mogwai&f=false. Retrieved February 9, 2011. 
2. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Come On Die Young - Mogwai". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/come-on-die-young-r403028. Retrieved February 9, 2011. 
3. ^ Brent DiCrescenzo (March 29, 1999). "Mogwai: Come On Die Young". pitchforkmedia.com. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/19974/Mogwai_Come_On_Die_Young. Retrieved February 9, 2011. 
4. ^ Tim Whitehouse (March 18, 2001). "Mogwai: Come On Die Young". drownedinsound.com. http://drownedinsound.com/releases/4734/reviews/589-mogwai-come-on-die-young. Retrieved February 9, 2011. 
5. ^ CBC News. http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/music/topics/102/.