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Reading's Slowdive emerged in the early 90s with a string of EPs, which were quite simply definitive of the indie shoegazing scene. Their second album, Souvlaki, saw a moderate shift to slightly more conventional sounds. By the time of the third album, Pygmalion, they had become more experimental, moving into longer more instrumental tracks. Pygmalion proved to be the last Slowdive album, although 3 band members formed Mojave 3 and have released several albums to date. Neil Halstead and Rachael Goswell have also released solo albums.
Most bands seem to have got heir act together with on line news. Mojave 3 are no exception. The official Mojave 3 web site has the latest news on the band.
Title: Avalyn I & II On: Slowdive EP (1990) (both tracks) and Blue Day (1992) (Avalyn I only) Equally good with vocals (I) or without (II), Avalyn starts off with a simple slow guitar riff and gradually layers percussion, more guitars and probably keyboards (you can never tell with this band!) over the repeated basic melody.
Title: Golden Hair On: Holding our Breath EP (1991) This shows Slowdive at their etheral zenith, taking a folky Syd Barrett song and turning it into a dreamy and then soaring work. The original lyrics are sung gently by Rachael Goswell over a sea of soft noise: trademark guitar-sounding-like strings Slowdive. Then the track rounds off via a set of blissful instrumental chord changes.
Title: Primal Album: Just for a Day (1991) "Today, I watched the colours fade The last track of their first album is probably Slowdive's finest moment. It starts off with muted guitars and a cello-like noise (which is probably also guitar) in a slow tempo. Neil Halstead and Rachael Goswell compliment each other softly on vocals as the track gradually builds up to the chorus. This is a creshendo of wave after wave of noise: soaring landscapes of chord changes that send shivvers down your spine with Rachael's vocals merging into the maelstrom. Awesome.
Title: When the Sun Hits Album Souvlaki (1993) "Sweet thing, I watch you Another shivver-inducing track with those heavenly chord changes. Following the pattern of the 2nd album Souvlaki - less sound trickery, more traditional guitar noises - "When the Sun Hits" is also a more regular Verse/chorus/verse etc. song. The lyrics are slightly mournful but hopelessly romantic and are mostly sung by Neil with Rachael backing on the chorus. I often wonder why this never made it to a single release. I was lucky enough to see Slowdive during their Souvlaki Tour at The Venue, New Cross, London on August 3rd 1993 and they made my week by singng this song.
Title: Visions of La Album: Pymalion (1995) Rarely for this album, Visions of La is a less-experimental shorter two verse track, consisting simply of Rachael Goswell's vocals and a guitar. The two combine to produce a really special mournful, haunting song, previewing the Mojave 3 style. Buy Slowdive from Amazon: A thorough "official" discography Creation Records' site - a bio and some references to Mojave 3 Mojave 3 Official site |
