Have Some Faith in Magic

Signed to Mogwai's Rock Action label, experimental four-piece Errors have often been regarded as the pretenders to their fellow Glaswegians' post-rock throne. However, their third album, Have Some Faith in Magic, suggests that they're now fully equipped to step out of their celebrated bosses' shadows. The follow-up to 2010's cleverly titled Come Down with Me still centers on their ability to create sprawling and richly textured soundscapes, but it's very much a warmer and less abrasive affair, with several nods toward the '80s synth pop scene and a newfound penchant for vocals, albeit distant and largely unintelligible ones, which lend the likes of the early Depeche Mode-esque melancholy of "Blank Media" and the analog cosmic pop of "Magna Encarta" a more melodic edge. Fans of their previous left-field output needn't be too concerned that they're straying too far into the mainstream, as while there are tentative steps toward both the dancefloor, with the four-to-the-floor beats and Balearic basslines of acid house pastiche "Pleasure Palaces," and chillout territory with the blissful bleep-laden electronica of "The Knock," the band's off-kilter tendencies remain intact, whether it's the haunting Gregorian chants that permeate the Vangelis does Afro-beat of "Earthscore," the clattering industrial electro of "Barton Spring," or the woozy prog of opener "Tusk." A subtle but confident change in direction, Have Some Faith in Magic suggests Mogwai better start looking over their shoulders. ~ Jon O'Brien