Mogwai are one of those bands that make the world a better place by their existence, and Young Team, their debut album, still sounds incredible more than ten years on. It's worn well on various stereos and sets of headphones of mine over the years, and still, now, the lurch and crunch or Like Herod smashes my brain to pieces, the hard-panned feedback of With Portfolio makes me dizzy, and Mogwai Fear Satan, in its entirety, makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand rigid. Aiden Moffat's bleary-eyed drawl on R U Still In 2 It is still achingly sad and bitter, and forever will be. Young Team is a powerful collection of songs that deserves this remaster and repackage treatment more than most.
The Appendix recordings, despite being brief, make for a worthy inclusion in the Mogwai cannon (moreso than Zidane, that's for damn sure), the standout being I Can't Remember, driven by a hissing, spitting drum machine and Mogwai's trademark guitar tension. The live recordings include welcome readings of R U Still In 2 It and an epic Mogwai Fear Satan. Overall, the reissued Young Team LP box is a satisfying bit of product-porn for existing fans, and the CD edition would make a fantastic introduction to latecomers and kids looking for a entrance point.
I Can't Remember - from Young Team: Appendix
Tracy - from Young Team
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