Before they became one of the most quietly beloved bands on 4AD's roster, the founding members of Mojave 3 were making a different kind of noise. Vocalist and guitarist Neil Halstead, bassist and vocalist Rachel Goswell, and drummer Ian McCutcheon first played together in Slowdive, the definitive shoegazers whose walls of reverb and distortion helped define an era. When that chapter closed, the three emerged with something unexpected: hushed, melodic, folk- and country-tinged songs that had almost nothing in common with the music that made them famous.
The band broke cover in 1995. A six-track demo impressed 4AD enough to offer them a deal, despite a musical climate dominated by bumptious Britpop that seemed completely at odds with what Mojave 3 were doing. Their incongruence, it turned out, was exactly the point.
The Albums
Their debut, Ask Me Tomorrow, was a refreshingly stripped-down collection that changed little from the original demos. Halstead's songwriting drew favorable (if lazy) comparisons to Nick Drake, Cowboy Junkies, and Bob Dylan. It was gentle and unhurried, a record that rewarded patience.
Three years later, Out of Tune continued where the first album left off and revealed a group that had grown in both confidence and cohesiveness. The songs breathed a little deeper, the arrangements felt more assured, and the band sounded like they had settled into their own skin.
Their third album, Excuses for Travellers, contained some of the most ambitious Halstead compositions yet. The palette expanded without losing the intimacy that made the band special, pushing into richer territory while keeping the songwriting front and center.
Spoon and Rafter followed three years later, marking another shift. While still carrying echoes of singer-songwriters and alt-country, the record represents a technicolor expansion that utilizes electronics, glockenspiels, melodica, and Beatlesque production. It is the sound of a band refusing to stand still.
Their final album, 2006's Puzzles Like You, is a positively bright and fun record that feels right at home next to indie rock contemporaries like The Shins and Band of Horses, while sounding nearly unrecognizable next to the band they were on Ask Me Tomorrow. Over five albums, Mojave 3 traced one of the most graceful evolutions in indie music, moving from whispered folk to warm, widescreen pop without ever losing the thread.
Back on Vinyl
Long out of print, all five albums have now been reissued with fresh remasters from Abbey Road. These are the first 4AD pressings since the original releases, and they sound better than ever. Whether you are discovering Mojave 3 for the first time or filling in gaps in your collection, this is the definitive way to hear the full arc of one of the most underrated bands of their generation.
Shop the complete Mojave 3 reissue series at Indie Vinyl Den: