Track Listing

1. Hunted By A Freak
2. Moses? I Amn't
3. Kids Will Be Skeletons
4. Killing All the Flies
5. Boring Machines Disturbs Sleep
6. Ratts of the Capital
7. Golden Porsche
8. I Know You Are But What Am I?
9. Stop Coming to My House

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52530 in Music
• Released on: 2003-06-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Album Description
The fourth album from Glasgow's kings of glowering, volatile quasi-instrumental rock is subtler than their previous work, compositionally beautiful but intense and trance-inducing at the same time. 9 tracks. Matador. 2003.

Amazon.com
Adventurous Scot rockers Mogwai may never shake reputation for creating brutal music, but Happy Songs for Happy People demonstrates that they can do more than render the aural equivalent of being sucked out a spaceship airlock. Until now, Stuart Braithwaite had taken on the role of Mogwai's bandleader by proxy, his tumultuous guitar playing serving as the outfit's hallmark. Now, however, multi-instrumentalist Barry Burns has stepped to the fore--albeit, with much more restraint--crooning effects-heavy vocals on "Hunted By a Freak" and teasing out a meditative piano line on the ghostly "I Know You Are But What Am I?" Indeed, more than any other Mogwai work, this album aims to create sheer bliss. Even the amp-busting crescendo of "Ratts of the Capital" matches its dark-metal pomp with chiming orchestra bells and starburst lead-guitar lines. No sudden banjo interludes or guest vocals jar with the album's slow passage toward its conclusion. True, it's hard to shake the feeling that they'll never again write something as monumental as Come On Die Young. But Mogwai still sound lush and powerful. Their time hasn't passed. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

Embrace this black hole of guitar dissonace
"Happy Music For Happy People" is perhaps a new dawn for Mogwai. Having almost completely abandoned their once trade mark slow creep to raging cacophany style, Mogwai opt for a 'wall of sound' steam-roller of guitars, drums and various other 'noise' producing instruments. First seeping into the listeners mind, then enveloping them in an almost narcotic haze, "Happy Music For Happy People" seeks to be the most seductive 'downer' album of all time.

The 'emotion' of this album is similar to that of Radiohead's masterpiece of inertiatic melancholy "Ok Computer". As the opening track "Hunted By A Freak" suggests there is a hint of paranoia in Mogwai's tunes these days. Infact it is best to think of "Happy Music For Happy People" as an entity or person with whom you are experiencing the world around. The early paranoia gives way to an insignificance as the album progresses, and if you close your eyes you can almost envision yourself walking through the streets of a town, the noise of life muted by sheets of rain, and the colours dimmed in a pervading mist of grey. Your destination is of no importance, rather the journey is thought provoking, no epiphanys, but an overwhelming sense of awareness of life. The music is awash in guitars that drizzle, snippets of vocals the flow like water down a drain, and they steady background plod of drums.

You are not going to play "Happy Music For Happy People" at a party, or as something to get the blood pumping too, well not unless you wish to sonically wither all listeners into a near catatonic state. This is music for headphones, an album to submerge yourself in when you are in an introspective mood wishing to be left in solitude. This a cohesive journey, a slice of emotional reflection that flows from song to song.

I will not say you are going to pick up this (or any Mogwai) album and be enthralled with what you hear. People who like songs that are well defined and get straight the point will find Mogwai boring. Though if your willing to simply listen and not care about the destination (or even moving at all) you might just find an album you will hold dear for many years to come.

Beautiful music to have while lying down
Truth be told, I was getting a bit tired of radio hits and songs with singing. Not that I hate them, it's just a lot of them sounded alike: Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, end. After getting into Sigur Ros, I started to get more into this so-called "post rock" explosion and found my way to Mogwai. Well, this is what you call "headphone music", something where you can just put it on and let it envelop you as you close your eyes.

Hunted by a Freak: You know those moments in songs where you just wanna listen to that song again SOLELY to listen to that one part? This has it. It starts out nice and quiet with arpeggioed electric guitar then it kicks into a haunting vocal chorus. That part you ask? 2:49-3:27. Especially when they repeat that chorus for the 2nd time. Amazing stuff. 12/10

Moses I Ain't: Soft plaintive keyboard intro then is joined by a cello(?), and continues for 3 minutes. It's not really much of a song, really. 7.5/10

Kids Will be Skeletons: Neat little harmonic intro with subtle strings then a 2nd guitar comes in. Another relaxing song with a slow building crescendo 9/10

Killing all the Flies - Another relaxing intro with 2 guitars going on at once doing different lines, then this strange vocal comes in the background which changes another haunting vocals.(Get used to these, there's plenty of them here) which builds to a huge finale then quiets down. How's that for dynamics? 8.5/10

Boring Machines Disturb Sleep - Strange sci-fi like sounds open this song with low mixed vocals(whoa!). Kind of like Robot Chant or O I Sleep extended a couple minutes 8/10

Ratts of the Capital - Longest song on album. Very faint guitar riff then the drums and bass join in for a slow build up until a rather gorgeous little section. Lots of tempo changes. Can be seen as this album's centerpiece. 9/10

Golden Porsche - Very short(2:51) might as a nice melancholy feel to it. Again, another relaxing song, despite it being short. 8/10

I Know You Are but What Am I: A repeating piano key with a couple chords thrown in until a drum machine comes in almost 2 minutes later. Rather slow but definately not a throw away. 7.5/10

Stop Coming to My House: Quiet haunting beginning until halfway when it introducecs strange noises while maintaining a solemn background. This is like the equivalent of the aftermath of a car crash. Ends with this cartoon(yes I said cartoon) ending with kids and crazy music. 8/10

This was the first Mogwai I listened to so I can't compare it to the others but for a first timer, absolutely pleasant work

Stop Coming to My house
As I descend further and further into the bottomless hole that is music, I continue to unearth new and exciting artists the likes of which I could have never imagined existed. Mogawi is one of my finest discoveries yet, an amazing band that have the rare ability to craft beautiful songs that sound fresh and stimulate happiness.

Happy Songs for Happy People is my introduction to Mogwai, and what a first impression it has made upon me. For weeks I have stayed up late nights listening to this CD, totally entranced by its beauty. Happy Songs is a beautiful some what instrumental post-rock album with a very mellow and relaxed feel. melodies and guitar float in the air while solid percussion and string arrangments keep things grounded while exploring new heights at the same time. Listening to this album feels like cool autumn nights, my best dreams, and butterflies in my stomach all in one.

As cliche as it sounds, I can't describe the album in words, nor can I describe its beauty. See other reviews for detailed descriptions of Mogwais sound or songs on this album. I can't say any more than that this is a beautiful album, but that's really all that needs to be said.

Review in a nutshell: Happy Songs for Happy People is a lush, full musical experience that I can not get enough of.