At first glance, the album title Happy Songs for Happy People seems almost as ironic as the name of their previous album, Rock Action.
After listening to the album, however, it's apparent that its title isn't just meant as a joke.
Though "happy" isn't necessarily the first word that springs to mind when describing the band's intricate, brooding style, it is a word and emotion that is both simple and profound, much like the direction Mogwai's music takes here.
Happy Songs for Happy People takes the focus and restraint of Rock Action to greater lengths, but it never feels like a rehash of their previous work.
The palette of sounds the band uses -- which includes rolling guitars and pianos, swelling strings, persuasive but un-showy drumming, and occasional forays into distortion and electronics -- is a relatively small one, but the band uses it wisely on tracks as diverse as the lovely, understated "Kids Will Be Skeletons" (arguably the "happiest" song on the album) and the gloriously dense finale, "Stop Coming to My House," which piles layers and layers of distorted drums, guitars, and synths atop each other.
Mogwai also employs its usual quietly beautiful/explosively noisy dynamic formula expertly, particularly on the gorgeous "Killing All the Flies," which feels much longer (in a good way) than four and a half minutes.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunted By a FreakMogwai | Mogwai | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 2 | Moses? I Amn'tMogwai | Mogwai | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 3 | Kids Will Be SkeletonsMogwai | Mogwai | Play | 05:27 | 12 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | Killing All the FliesMogwai | Mogwai | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 23 MB |
| 5 | Boring Machines Disturbs SleepMogwai | Mogwai | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 6 | Ratts of the CapitalMogwai | Mogwai | Play | 08:25 | 19 MB | 50 MB |
| 7 | Golden PorscheMogwai | Mogwai | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 8 | I Know You Are But What Am I?Mogwai | Mogwai | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 27 MB |
| 9 | Stop Coming to My HouseMogwai | Mogwai | Play | 04:55 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 10 | Sad DC | Mogwai | Play | 04:30 | 10 MB | 21 MB |
| 46 mins | 106 MB | |||||
| 46 mins | 262 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Bannister | Assistant Engineer |
| 2 | Caroline Barber | Cello |
| 3 | Tony Doogan | Engineer, Mixing |
| 4 | Greg Lawson | Violin |
| 5 | Mogwai | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 6 | Adam Nunn | Mastering |
| 7 | Luke Sutherland | Guitar, Violin |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |