Mojave 3 – Excuses For Travellers

 

Mojave 3 – Excuses For Travellers

By

Jesse E. Mullen

Editor’s Note: I’ve previously covered Mojave 3 on my blog, but Excuses For Travellers is simply too good not to review

You’ve formed an excellent band from the ashes of another great band. You’ve successfully made two albums exploring the sounds of slowcore, alt. country, and evoking the vastness of the Mojave desert. What do you do next? Make another excellent album.

So was the story of Mojave 3 in the spring of 2000. The Reading quintet had released two albums of dreamy slowcore, 1995’s Ask Me Tomorrow and 1998’s Out of Tune. They took the glacial soundscapes of Slowdive and distilled them into even more minimalist music.

When the band went to record their third album in 1999, there were no major shifts in the lineup or style of music. What had changed however, was the almost memoir-like quality of Neil Halstead’s songs.

When Excuses For Travellers was released in May of 2000, it must have felt like a statement of purpose for the group. Opener “In Love With A View” recounts the beginning of a romance amidst a winter storm. The song gradually builds over the course of six minutes until Simon Rowe lets loose a blistering guitar solo.

Halstead’s harmonies with Rachel Goswell were always a major hallmark of the band’s sound, and they are omnipresent here. But where they make the biggest impact is on “My Life In Art.” A glorious seven-minute epic with glacial, 12/8 drumming by Ian McCutcheon, lesser groups would flounder attempting to sustain interest of fans.

But like Red House Painters before them, Mojave 3 are more than up to the task. Halstead spins a Dylanesque tale about human existence, from the trials of a homeless man to an author struggling to write a book. Halstead takes the lead vocal until the second verse, where Goswell joins him in harmony.

When the two mesh, it is a match made in heaven. If Halstead himself should ever write a book, he’d be well advised to title it My Life In Art. And I would be remiss not to mention the sonic qualities which producer Mark Van Hoen bring to the table.

His dry drum production mixed with the reverb on the vocals, guitars, vibraphones, and trumpets gives the album a sound rarely heard outside of the work of The American Analog Set. Speaking of production touches, one of the most (subtly) sonically dolled-up tracks is Goswell’s “Bringin’ Me Home.”

The lyrics tell a tale of a relationship gone sour, and Goswell finds refuge in the seaside of Devon. Although it seems to be a deeply personal song, she allowed for production “bells and whistles” such as vibraphone, xylophone, and bullet-mic’d backing vocals which made her sound like she was underwater. 

The overall effect is a sonically adventurous track which recalls what Broadcast were doing at the time. And as Goswell’s only lead vocal on the album, it is a welcome change of pace. But there was also another pleasant surprise on the album.

“Trying To Reach You” had been played live by Mojave 3 since April of 1996. Yet they had apparently never recorded a satisfactory version in the studio. That is, until Excuses For Travellers.

Previously, the acoustic-based arrangement had been a live favorite with fans. But here, the song is fully fleshed out with banjos, pedal steel, Goswell’s harmonies, and McCutcheon’s brushstroke drums. In this arrangement, the song gains new life, making the four-year wait well worth it.

Speaking of new arrangements, the American release of Excuses For Travellers substitutes the acoustic fingerpicked version of “Prayer For The Paranoid” for an electric, full-band version. While this alternate arrangement lacks the intimacy of the acoustic one, it more than makes up for it in majesty.

The vocal harmonies of Goswell and Halstead when they sing “These days are cold/And I'm missing you” add a poignance and emotional weight that was missing on the previous take. McCutcheon is again an MVP, with steady powerful drumming in waltz time.

The pedal steel is also a welcome addition to the track. It has a similar effect to what it does on Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You.” It broadens the arrangement and helps to bring back some of the sadness that was lost by electrifying the track. 

While Mojave 3 are well-loved amongst those who know them, they don’t have the critical attention of their contemporaries. Still, their first three albums are as close to perfection as can be found in all of slowcore. And Excuses For Travellers is quite possibly the best of the bunch.

4AD/2000