Mojave 3 Issue #28

Puzzles Like You (4AD)

By Andrea Bussell
Published: June 1st, 2006 | 9:07am

There’s no denying that Mojave 3’s Neil Halstead is a great songwriter. He may have written some bland tunes in past years, but he’s never really written a bad one. Still, after the ambitious and innovative history of Slowdive (Halstead’s previous band with Mojave 3 counterparts Rachel Goswell and Ian McCutcheon), the predictability of the last few Mojave 3 records has been disconcerting — almost enough to make me sell mine.

Fortunately, Puzzles Like You slightly breaks this rut to combine the best elements of Mojave 3’s career in a new way. Charming compositions reminiscent of ’60s pop — and somewhat similar to those on the band’s sophomore effort, Out of Tune — take precedence so much that you’ll likely question whether or not this is the same band you knew from 1995. Still, these more lively songs incorporate the meandering twang of Excuses for Travelers with the hushed ambience of Spoon and Rafter, and the drowsy, mellow beauty of debut, Ask Me Tomorrow all at once.

Yet overall, despite a lack of stylistic change, one familiar trait is decidedly missing from Puzzles Like You: the sadness that has characterized Halstead’s songs in the past. Even the slowest tracks, like “Most Days,” which channel the band’s earlier sound, seem somehow lighter and more full of hope. However slight, the change is a good one if for no other reason than to show that Mojave 3 can still be surprising.