Mojave 3

After Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell extinguished virtually all the possibilities of their original incarnation, Slowdive, in 1995, they reformed as Mojave 3 the following year. Extracting Slowdive's waves of distortion and sound experiments, Mojave 3 sacrificed their predecessor's confining shoegazer ideal for the solace of love-starved country music. Mojave 3's earlier material was filled with falling piano keys, slide guitar, and intertwining vocals filled with enough heartache to bring tears to the most staunch cowboy. More recently, they've latched onto the harmony-laden West Coast sound of the late '60s and early '70s, while at the same featuring many a nod to Bob Dylan. Halstead's songs have become saturated with whirring organs and slide guitar, and could now even be labeled traditional. "Tradition" fits Mojave 3 well, as exceptional songwriting, aching harmonies, and slide guitar so rarely fail to break hearts.