Mojave 3 – Puzzles of You (2006)

Official rating: 77

Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell have really been around. Not to even mention their Slowdive efforts, Puzzles of You will be Mojave 3′s fifth album. This effort has resulted in a flowing collection of breezy roadtrip britpop. Like a relaxing self-exodus, the full quintet churns out ballads perfect for a mellow, blue summer sky drive. Far from the dusky downtempo of years past.

Like Teenage Fanclub meets The New Pornographers, their upbeat adventure pop shines through Halstead’s homemade production as a shimmering example of what folky pop can still be. Over the course of the album, the atmosphere rarely strays from the same rolling buoyancy. Each track is full of semi-repressed, but optimistic energy, which surely the British know as well as anyone. A few tunes put the brakes on and stop for a roadside picnic, but the majority are sprightly wheel-spinners.

A lively summer album of romping, acoustic pop jams.

Posted on by chris Posted in Music

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