MOJAVE 3

The Album
Puzzles Like You

The Track
"Breaking The Ice"

The Label
4AD

By Jim Manion , PD/MD, WFHB Bloomington

With great seasonal timing, Mojave 3 has snapped their music into Brit-pop shape with an album full of bubbly summer sounds. Which is quite a surprise after the introspection of both guitarist/singer/songwriter Neil Halstead's solo album Sleeping On Roads and bassist Rachel Goswell's solo release Waves Are Universal, as well as the complexities of the last Mojave 3 release Spoon and Rafter. But not all that surprising in that Halstead is an avid summer surfer in England and probably came up with some of these songs while riding waves. Intriguing and infectious, Puzzles Like You is hard to get away from – hard to stop the repeat listens and hard to stop the mental hard drive from playing the songs back. With the exception of the album's slower songs like "Most Days," "Big Star Baby" and "You Said It Before," Puzzles Like You rocks like the band never has before.

From the opening two-chord kick of the first track, "Truck Driving Man," you know this is going to be a record that rings well in the summer air. Relying heavily on 4/4 beats and rock song conventions, the upbeat side of Puzzles Like You carries a top-down cruising quality that brings a sunny smile. Where the last Mojave 3 release was thick with lovely intricate arrangements and complex compositions, Puzzles Like You is, in sharp contrast, a pop record of the best kind. Short, catchy songs roll out of the speakers and have an instant party.

Not that there isn't crafty production and arranging put to clever use here. Rich reverb gives the music extra hang time. Farfisa organ riffs, resonant pedal steel guitar atmospheres and glockenspiel tones ornament the tunes in all the right places. Rachel Goswell's bass anchors and punches the clock while Neil Halstead's breathy voice rides each song's wave with relaxed intensity, sometimes supported by Goswell's subtle but sure backup vocals. Guitarist Simon Rowe picks out scrumptious leads, keyboard player Alan Forrester comps and enhances melodies with a variety of keyboard sounds including some stately piano and drummer Ian McCutcheon kicks out perfect beats on his kit. It all comes together in melodious focus like the best Cure songs minus the goth makeup.

The songs on Puzzles Like You are wistful, smart and speak from the heart. Sprinkled with sadness, nostalgia and self-examination the overall mood is still happy, sometimes giddy, with the wisdom of experience. "Breaking the Ice," the first single, is particularly rich in this mood. The album is loaded with potential radio hits - "Truck Driving Man," "Running With Your Eyes Closed," "Ghost Ship Waiting" and "Kill the Lights" among them.

Mojave 3 is a band that has always evolved with each release - moving from the country roots ambience of their earlier work, through the complexities of Spoon and Rafter, now settling into the immediate and accessible pop of Puzzles Like You. Their new work should help them reach a wider audience who will hopefully embrace their whole discography and move with them into their next evolution, whatever that may be. For right now, though, it’s time to put the top down, turn up the tunes and ride.

Sites
www.4ad.com
www.mojave3online.com

Spinning
WFUV Bronx-New York
KCRW Santa Monica-Los Angeles
KCMP Minneapolis
KEXP Seattle
Acoustic Cafe
WNCW Spindale-Asheville/Charlotte/Greenville/Spartanburg
Maine Public Radio
KXCI Tucson
WCBE Columbus
WEVL Memphis
WHRV Norfolk
WYSO Yellow Springs-Dayton
KRCL Salt Lake City
WUKY Lexington
WFHB Bloomington
WBJB Lincroft-Monmouth NJ
KSLU Hammond LA
KSMT Breckenridge
WBSD Burlington WI
WSYC Shippenburg PA
KRCC Colorado Springs
WDIY Allentown 
WERU Blue Hills ME
KUWR Laramie/Cheyenne
Sirius/Left Of Center
XM/Cafe
Music Choice/Indie

Crossover Airplay
WHHZ Gainesville FL (Alternative)

Specialty Show Airplay
KROQ Los Angeles
WXRT Chicago
WFNX Boston
CIMX Detroit
KDGE Dallas
KROX Austin
KQRA Springfield MA
WAVF Charleston
WEQX Albany
WFRD Hanover NH
WIOJ  Jacksonville
WHTG Monmouth NJ

Tour
Fall tour will be announced shortly.

Press
" Puzzles Like You reveals a more upbeat and poppy side of (Mojave 3)."
— Billboard

" Puzzles Like You is a '60s British folk and American alt-country hybrid that hits you like a warm ray of sunshine."
—Filter
 
TV/Video
"Breaking The Ice" was featured on The O.C.'s season finale. The band have been filming a video for the song, directed by Bradley Beesley. See it online at www.4ad.com soon.

Retail
Puzzles Like You is in stores June 6.

Contact
Fred Navarrete , Matador/4AD/Beggars Group