Label: 4AD
Release Date: September 23, 2003
Website: www.mojave3online.com
Mojave 3
- Spoon and Rafter
Matthew Ralph
An interesting thing happens at the start of this the latest Mojave 3
release, an album that officially reminds us all that they are in fact
still alive and well as a band. Fresh off the success of Neil
Halstead's solo record that had some wondering whether the project
started after the dissolving of legendary shoegaze band Slowdive would
meet the same demise, the opening track "Bluebird of Happiness" fools
you into thinking you have listened to three different tracks before it
ends.
Essentially a three-part song with the tag epic written all over it,
the song starts off comatose with Halstead's oh-so-familiar voice
layered over crisp piano and way off in the distance guitar. After
three minutes of him singing "gotta find a way back home" there's a
brief pause and then the heartbreaking sound turns to chamber pop for
three minutes and returns back to the original format with the addition
of a few voices adding a gospel tinge to the mix. Put them together and
the song is a breathtaking way to start any record, but may wear some
listeners out before the album even gets to its bright iTunes moments.
But by now any fan still paying attention to Mojave 3, any fan patient
enough to give their last record, Songs for Travelers a long enough
listen to truly appreciate its finer and simply brilliant points, is in
it for the long haul. They appreciate the extended numbers and the
layered elements of pedal steel. glockenspiel, and melodica off in the
distance that come just about as close to capturing the essence of
travel as music can.
Songs like "Starlight No. 1" and "Hard to Miss You" in this manner feel
like they could easily fit in with the last record — that ability to
capture the fleeting emotion and timeless energy of life's dusty paths
so uncanny.
Often lumped into the category of alt-country, the group continues to
lean more toward the dreamy pop realm that Wilco mastered with their
landmark release a year ago. Though less experimental with sounds,
songs like "Battle of the Broken Hearts" and "Billoddity" capture a
textured soundscape that builds on the album's cleaner more
straightforward numbers like "Too Many Mornings" or "Tinker's Blues."
Be surprised if this record doesn't show up on a lot of year end best
of lists. The more I listen to "Bluebird of Happiness," even with its
confusing transitions, and the close your eyes and soak it in beauty of
tracks like "Hard to Miss You" and "Between the Bars," the more it
seems to demands the recognition.
posted 11.27.03
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Matt Ralph has bags full of bad CD's. Add to his collection at matt@tangzine.com
2002 White Elephant
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