Puzzles Like You

Personnel: Neil Halstead (vocals, guitar); Rachel Goswell (vocals, bass guitar); Ian McCutcheon (vocals, drums, percussion); Melvin Duffy (banjo); Pritpal Soor, Nick Zala (strings); Alan Forrester (piano).
Audio Mixer: Victor Van Vugt.
Recording information: The Farm2.
On its fifth full-length album, PUZZLES LIKE YOU, Mojave 3 extends its stay in the expansive, wide-screen territory of its predecessor, SPOON AND RAFTER. While the British group's alt-country leanings are still evident (see the sleepy, pastoral "Most Days"), singer-songwriter Neil Halstead and company are also intent on crafting lush indie-pop tunes, most notably the chiming single "Breaking the Ice," a gloriously upbeat song that highlights Halstead's gentle vocal harmonies with bassist Rachel Goswell. And, on "Big Star Baby," Mojave 3 masterfully melds a twangy pedal-steel lilt with a highly melodic sensibility, while toasting the the revered power-pop act Big Star. For fans that thought that the former Slowdivers had hit a peak with SPOON AND RAFTER, this assured and dynamic outing reveals that Mojave 3 is still ascending to new and greater heights.