S/D mojave 3/neil halstead

has there been a slowdive s/d yet?

And that's that...

"There are no plans what-so-ever to record another Mojave 3 record" - dire words and a damned strange way to start a press release, especially one most logically targeted at fans of the band that it's purporting to be burying. The band in question is The Loose Salute, the occasion is the release of their debut album Tuned To Love this past Tuesday and the common thread is Ian McCutcheon, drummer for M3 and frontman for the Loose Salute, and the man to whom the above quote is attributed.

It was well known even while M3 were supporting last year's Puzzles Like You that the band would be taking a break - bassist/vocalist Rachel Goswell was/is still recovering from health concerns and was unable to tour and support the record, frontman Neil Halstead already had plans for a second solo record and wheels were rolling on The Loose Salute - the closing track on Puzzles, "The Mutineer", was sung by McCutcheon and also appears on Tuned. No one expected them to head right back into the studio and turn out another record, and so McCutcheon's statement is probably technically correct. But the way it's phrased and presented, as though the band is dead, is probably a bit sensationalistic and designed to grab attention... like this post. Ahem. Anyways, to my knowledge (and I asked), they've not notified 4AD of any sort of dissolution so I will simply interpret this as a break - a temporary one - while they tend to other things and fully expect one of my favourite bands to return with another wonderful record... eventually.

Kinda like how Suede's break was meant to be 'temporary' (at least until some sort of reunion).

My feelings on the band remain a bit conflicted. As Electric Sound noted, I was all for that first album and still am -- it was actually a fairly logical continuation from Pygmalion in ways. But after that, nothing ever quite connected fully with me again, though the live show Elvis and I saw on the tour for the third (?) album was v. good. Solo efforts have left me flat. I appreciate that they never wanted to be stuck reliving their musical pasts -- I actually think that was the smartest thing for them to do, to reject a return to the gaze style they essentially codified -- but I only wish I could have been truly overwhelmed by them. Never quite made it, though.

I know next to nothing of the band's old records, (or, indeed, Slowdive - yeah, I know) but "Puzzles Like You" was a nice little pop album.

M3 are nice enough & all, but they've had 15 years to thoroughly exercise their pastoral folk bent. The time is right dust off the delay pedals & commence w/ a long-overdue return to Souvlaki Space Station. ATP organizers, make this happen!

i hated the last mojave 3 album too, and didn't care the the last neil halsted record either even though i loved his first one. yeah, a slowdive reunion would be nice.

has rachel goswell gotten over her health issues? i would guess that would be a spanner in the works if not..

Of all the post-Slowdive projects, Monster Movie has been consistent winner of them all.

been listening to m3's excuses for travellers and their first album basically everyday recently

wonder if they're done now with slowdive back.

I've always been partial to Out of Tune. Might be that it was the first one of theirs I bought. Both Mojave 3 and Slowdive get lots of love here.

I've been looking for Out of Tune and Excuses... in vinyl for quite some time. None to be had, really. Must have been small pressings. I quite like Neil's Blackhearted Brother project.

love both Slowdive and Mojave 3 and own everything by both bands. saw Mojave 3 more than Slowdive or around 10 times total.

Tunes from all of the first three m3 albums seem to hum in my head weekly and have for years...