Kicking A Dead Pig

轟音と静寂が鳴り響く、唯一無二のオリジナル・サウンドで数々の名作を世に送り出してきたモグワイ。そんな彼らのリミックス・アルバム!(オリジナル発売1998年)リミキサーにはマイ・ブラッディ・ヴァレンタイン、サージョン、アラブ・ストラップ、キッド・ロコ、アレック・エンパイア等が参加!名盤となった過去7枚のアルバムと数々の伝説的なライヴを通し、ギター・インストゥルメンタルという最小限のフォーマットで独自のロックを表現してきたイギリス・グラスゴーの至宝モグワイ。現在ポスト・ロックと呼ばれるバンドの多くは、彼らの影響なしにはありえなかったとも言われている。

Coming from a band as prone to out-there weirdness as Mogwai, it should come as no surprise that many of the remixes on KICKING A DEAD PIG bare little resemblance to their LP companions (mostly from YOUNG TEAM). Though this collection of alternate versions introduces Mogwai to the sometimes shady world of remixes, rest assured that you are not likely to hear these tracks coming out of the speakers at your local mall clothier. Paired in the U.S. with a second disc, MOGWAI FEAR SATAN REMIXES, this is 100-plus minutes of tweaked and twisted sonic experiments.
Highlights are Hood's ultra-low slung, ambient groove version of "Like Herod", DJ Q's take on "R U Still In To It?" which turns the funk up to 11 for an unsettling recasting of Mogwai as Scotland's answer to Daft Punk, and Max Tundra's "Helicon 2" mix, which almost completely inverts the track's soft/loud structure and adds some seriously damaged distortion effects. The highlight of disc two is the 16-minute "My Bloody Valentine Remix", which at times ranges so far from the original as to suggest not only a different song, but that it was created by an entirely different order of creature than human.|

Mogwai get translated and abused in various ways in this collection of remixes. Whether it's industrial, dance, or something altogether left field, the 12 remixes on Kicking a Dead Pig and the bonus CD, Fear Satan Remixes, take Mogwai to various new places, for better or worse. Remixes faring best are from Hood, Max Tundra, Third Eye Foundation, and Kid Loco. Remixers seemingly out of their minds at the time or simply collecting paychecks are Klute, Arab Strap, AMicro-Ziq, and My Bloody Valentine. AMicro-Ziq is known to show inspired disregard for songs during his remixes, but he turns "Fear Satan" into a grating mess. Kevin Shields suggests that he's probably run out of ideas for good in his My Bloody Valentine-monikered reworking. He was always known for noise freakouts, but that was in a live setting. On CD, it just sounds sloppy. Still, the joy to be found makes the misfires somewhat bearable. Hood's contribution introduces interesting sonic shifts and gritty guitar dynamics. Max Tundra's interpretation sounds alternately like violins tuning-up and ticking electronics, as plucked guitars and organic industrial sounds blend quite nicely. Kid Loco's remix is perhaps the most accessible, as dub textures and chiming sound effects approach something that might be called touching. Too many of the remixers add dance beats, making one wonder why a disco ball wasn't included in the gatefold case; seeing as how many of these remixes were done in the dying days of drum'n'bass, one has to forgive the artists for jumping a rickety bandwagon. Kicking a Dead Pig + Fear Satan Remixes isn't nearly as challenging or rewarding as one would expect, and thus not worth many repeat listens. ~ Tim DiGravina