Mogwai, Mr. Beast

I wouldn't call Mr. Beast a return to form by Mogwai - they've never been off-form in my opinion - but it's certainly their most rounded and consistently brilliant album in recent years, and it could eventually prove to be their masterpiece. "Auto Rock" gets things under way with a repeated piano motif that grows into a mini-epic. Then "Glasgow Mega-Snake" crashes in; an insistent, guitar-fuelled rocker which sees Mogwai doing what they do best. Only Better. Things go quiet again with "Acid Food"; all twanging guitars and beautiful pedal steel and Stuart Braithwaite's hushed vocals. I'm not sure if the vocals work too well on this one, and there would be a case for leaving them off altogether. A minor quibble.

It's quite a laid-back album overall, with many of the tracks starting quietly and gradually building up the intensity to leave the listener wanting more. "We're No Here" does no such thing, however, the coruscating guitars bursting in early on and staying put to make for a rousing album closer.