The Scottish instrumental band Mogwai has never been one to play to the crowd. So when the world expects a searing record of guitar-driven, huge, instrumental crescendos and bone-crushing distortion, Mogwai delivers something quite unexpected.

Despite its ambitious title, Mogwai’s latest release has more to do with string instruments and deliberate restraint than stadium-sized rock. Before they graced the pages of magazines like Rolling Stone, Mogwai had already been touted in the indie/underground circuit as one of rock’s last great hopes. “Rock Action” is definitely not to be mistaken for a rock record, but offers another kind of punch to Mogwai’s already complex repertoire.

Part of Mogwai’s fame emerges from one of their merchandise t-shirts which reads, “Blur are shite,” causing quite an interesting controversy. In response, Blur put out their own t-shirt that read “Mogwai are Slint” in reference to Mogwai’s influence from the dynamic but short-lived, indie-rock pioneers Slint, who emerged from Kentucky in the early 1990’s.

On previous albums like “Come on Die Young” and “Young Team,” it seemed undeniable that Mogwai was a close descendant of the often brilliant soft/loud architects Slint. “Rock Action” seems to owe more of a debt to bands like Low and Arab Strap, who are also from Scotland and friends with the band. Their latest album clearly swerves from the Slint blueprints and subtly crafts a softer and more despondent kind of piece. Even the heavy drums of “You Don’t Know Jesus,” most representative of Mogwai’s earlier work, is soaked with a sadness that cannot be lifted. Although the band remains lighthearted and good humored with titles like “Robot Chant” and “2 Rights Make 1 Wrong,” the music seems to share none of this optimism.

Vocals appear on a few tracks of “Rock Action,” but mostly just sad laments and undistinguishable lyrics. Despite its melancholy, “Take Me Somewhere Nice” is a standout, emerging slowly, with the shy and mumbled vocals of musical guest David Pajo, sounding infinitely hopeless – a consistent tone that haunts the entire album. It makes perfect sense that talented musicians would want to expand their musical palette and explore different styles, even if they are merely rock musicians. Although Mogwai have eased off the distortion and toned down their guitar noise for “Rock Action,” their strong back-catalogue of sometimes earth-shaking albums gives us hope that they will not completely drift off into the slow-core movement. Fortunately, Mogwai have shown that they are not Slint, which is indeed encouraging. “Rock Action ” once again proves that compared to Mogwai, Blur are still “shite.”