Ithica 27 ϕ 9

"Ithica 27 ϕ 9"
Single by Mogwai
A-side	"Summer"
Released	4 November 1996
Recorded	MCM Studios Hamilton, Scotland
Genre	Post-rock
Length	2:57
Label	Love Train
Songwriter(s)	Stuart Braithwaite, Dominic Aitchison
Producer(s)	Paul Savage
Mogwai singles chronology
"Angels vs Aliens" (1996) "Summer" / "Ithica 27 ϕ 9" (1996) "New Paths to Helicon, Pt. 1" / "New Paths to Helicon, Pt. 2" (1997)

"Ithica 27 ϕ 9" is a song by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai.

"Ithica 27 ϕ 9" was originally released as a double A-side single with "Summer" on 4 November 1996 through Love Train. It was later included on the 1997 compilation album, Ten Rapid (Collected Recordings 1996-1997).

The song is also as referred to as "Ithica 27ø9", "Ithica 27-9" and "Ithica 27 Phi 9".

Musical composition

The guitars in the song are tuned to (C♯ A E G♯ G♯ G♯).^[1] The song begins with a repeated note played by guitar, until (0:13), when a soft riff based on the G♯ minor chord is played. At (0:38), more guitars and a drumbeat enter, and an alternate melody is played. At (1:01), the main melody is played again then at (1:25), the drumbeat and guitars get steadily heavier and faster, until at (1:47), a wall of distorted guitar noise explodes. This continues to (2:19), when the main riff is again played, until (2:40), when the guitar fades into silence.

Release and reception

The song was first released as a 7" single, limited to 1500 copies through Love Train on November 4, 1996. The artwork featured on the sleeve of the 7" is by Neale Smith.

(PUBE014)No.TitleMusicLength1."Summer"Mogwai; David Robertson4:252."Ithica 27ϕ9" 2:57Total length:7:22

Mogwai Dominic Aitchison – bass guitar Stuart Braithwaite – guitar Martin Bulloch – drum kit John Cummings – guitar

Production Paul Savage – production, mixing Neale Smith – artwork

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