ogwai's biggest (and most notorious) claim to fame thus far has been a t-shirt. A simple t-shirt which contains the epithet: "Blur = Shit." Although Mogwai are dead wrong in saying that, it reveals multitudes about their character and particular sound.


Is Mogwai self-important? Absolutely. Are they pretentious and willfully difficult? Without a doubt. Should they be best-known for an inflammatory t-shirt? No.


The Scottish group Mogwai certainly have a handle on where they're going, and their vision for their music. While Mogwai have crafted many fine singles and album tracks in their career, they have yet to deliver a truly stunning full-length (the Ten Rapid compilation doesn't count). After the flaccid performance and reception of their last effort, Come On Die Young, Mogwai have dug themselves out of their artistic rut with the finest record they've made to date.


Rock Action is a consolidation of all of Mogwai's beliefs and practices. It's an archetypal post-rock album, though it's difficult to pin down exactly what that means. A shifting, inclusive genre, post-rock can mean anything from Tortoise's jazzy compositions to Godspeed You Black Emperor's wall-of-sound instrumental tsunamis.


The interesting thing about Rock Action is that while it sums up Mogwai in one neat package, it also expands their view. Rock Action is not solely comprised of thudding, ponderous instrumental passages and complex, ever-changing time signatures. Several of the tracks featured on Rock Action come armed with an almost folky vibe, such as on "Dial: Revenge" and the banjo contained in the album's centerpiece, "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong."


Though many tracks from Rock Action still flirt with epic lengths ("2 Rights..." pushes the ten minute mark), for the most part they have been pared down in size to a length that's more appealing to a wider audience. While the songs may have been condensed in size, they certainly lose nothing in scope; Mogwai are still as far-reaching as they always have been.


No longer do Mogwai write only dense, obtuse mood pieces. Rock Action has a few moments, that while they'll never make a Top 40 singles chart, do contain actual hooks in them. Hell, if Mogwai wasn't on Matador Records, and their music wasn't still a chore (but a pleasant one) to work through, you'd think they were selling out.


The most shocking development of all would only cement that impression in your head, as well. For the first time ever on a Mogwai record, vocals are included. Mogwai enlisted the talents of Gruff Rhys for a couple of tracks on Rock Action, and these tracks are not only the album's highlights, but rank among Mogwai's best work ever.


Rock Action opens typically enough, however, with "Sine Wave." As an oscillating vibe drones away in the background, a wavering guitar string is absently plucked. Gradually, rhythmic bursts of static fill in the void, building in intensity and volume, as a bit of synthesizer, programmed to resemble a human voice, whispers wordless sighs in a throat filled with mercury.


As "Sine Wave" fades, "Take Me Somewhere Nice" gently unfurls its majestic wings with a swooning string section and comforting acoustic guitar. Guest vocalist David Pajo caps off the mix as he delicately, almost tentatively utters stream-of-consciousness lyrics and piano notes ping around him, while fuzz guitars buzz in the distant background.


"Take Me Somewhere Nice" is still in the earlier mood-piece vein of Mogwai, as it doesn't really change structure much in its 5 minute-plus run, though the next track, the 50-second "O I Sleep" functions as a fragile, sparse outro to "Take Me Somewhere Nice."


The next track, "Dial: Revenge," really shows how much Mogwai have changed. A damn-near jangly riff (think early REM, only with a slower tempo), heartstring-tugging strings and lightfooted drumming combine for a track with depth, but not so dense that you can't see through it. It's downright hummable, something you certainly couldn't say about Mogwai before.


Rhys' vocals are the icing on the cake, of course, providing a human touchstone; coating the song with his high yet soothing pitch like a melancholy moss. Clocking in at three and a half minutes, "Dial: Revenge" is as close to mainstream as you'll probably ever hear from these guys, and its fleetingness only makes it more powerful.


The album's midpoint shows Mogwai doing what they're familiar with once again, as "You Don't Know Jesus" kicks off forebodingly with funeral-march drums and mournful guitar riffs, building to a torrent of dissonance and white noise, with a climax that doesn't release any tension, instead only increasing it. Hissing programming beats upon your ears as if a downpour of rain on a tin shanty.


After the slight interstitial "Robot Chant" comes the culmination of Rock Action, with the gorgeous "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong." This is Mogwai at the height of their considerable powers, meshing together both the long instrumental passages and the newfound love of hooks. Despite featuring only slight, distorted vocals and being ten minutes long, "2 Rights..." is the song you'll find running through your head long after the rest of the album has faded.


A jangly acoustic guitar and wobbly Brian Wilson-styled synth opens the song, as a measured cascade of drums and ethereal strings battle for your attention. A solid, melodic bass line actually propels the song forward, as defiant horns enter the mix, slowly working their way to the foreground. A resplendent organ riff thrusts "2 Rights..." into a shimmering climax, and as the track's first movement fades, the processed vocal returns, and the appearance of a banjo marks the track's second half.


Providing a wonderful offset to the rest of "2 Rights..."'s 21st century ambience, the unlikely instrument adds a rustic touch, carefully easing you down into the final moments, and transforming it from a surging giant to a wistful lullaby, as Rhys' wordless vocalizing dots the sky like so many starry constellations.


Rock Action's final track, "Secret Pint," carries on that vibe, with an unaltered piano and acoustic guitar easing you into a trance. "Secret Pint" ends Rock Action on a relaxing, hopeful vibe, and bringing the affair to an odd sort of closure.


Even with its streamlined sound, Rock Action won't win over the majority of the music-buying public, which truly is a shame. Introspective, colorful and unpredictable, Mogwai proves that they are capable of producing not only stunning moments, but an album filled with them; one that works equally well as a collection of separate songs as it does a complete whole.