REVIEW: Mojave 3, Out Of Tune (4AD/Sire)
- Tim Mohr
Their debut album was a beautiful amalgam of early Cowboy Junkies, Mazzy Star, and Low. Retaining the sense of melody and the molasses-paced meloncholy from their days in Slowdive, Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead seemed perfectly suited to the hushed American setting they created from the ruins of their English shoe-gazing phase.
Out Of Tune is not as successful. "Give What You Take" has the feel of early 70s post-hippy rock--like America's "Horse With No Name." "Yer Feet" is unnecessarily Dylanesque.
"Some Kinda Angel" is more like their previous material - except that the mid-tempo time signature might as well be hardcore techno compared to the asleep-at-the-wheel dirges of their debut.
On "All Your Tears," Mojave 3 (there's five of them, by the way) ease down, and Goswell joins Halstead to good effect in front of a mournful vintage organ. "Caught Beneath Your Heel" has the pair harmonizing over a similar background before gospel backing vocals conjure up an overblown Pink Floyd concert.
Two problems surface on Mojave 3's sophomore effort: first, they spent too much on production, inadvertantly losing the touchingly frank feel of the debut in an array of superfluous instruments. Second, where was Rachel? Vocal duties on the debut were split, but here she appears only as occasional back-up singer--which is a shame (and a waste).
