Don’t put off listening to “Ask Me Tomorrow” another day

Pictured: Members of Mojave 3

After they were dropped by Creation Records in 1995, the members of Slowdive decided to go in different musical directions. Three of those members, however, decided to keep recording music together. They changed their sound from the ambient-ish brand of shoegaze that Slowdive was known for, to a dreamy, country-tinged sound, ultimately foregoing all shoegaze.

These members, Neil Halstead, Rachel Goswell and Ian McCutcheon, formed the band Mojave 3. Their first album, “Ask Me Tomorrow,” is a great transitional point from where Slowdive’s final album, the dreamy, ambient “Pygmalion,” left off to the sound that Mojave 3 would eventually embody in their succeeding albums.

The main standout here is the first song, “Love Songs on the Radio.” The song embodies this dreaminess that I've seen primarily on slowcore songs. The beautiful melancholy of the guitar sets the scene here, simultaneously bringing in these calming notes while incorporating the slightest bit of twang. The whole instrumental sounds like you’re in the desert at sunset, bringing in thoughts of a warm pink and orange sky.

Goswell’s vocals on the song are beautiful as well. When she first sings “She looks just like an angel, When she walks across the room,” you can already feel her voice match perfectly with the sunset backdrop of the guitars.

That song sets the scene for the rest of the album, which keeps a sort of delicate energy throughout. The tinges of country throughout add to this, as the band knows how to not use too much of an overpowering country sound .

“Tomorrow’s Taken” is a great example of this delicate energy. The song’s sliding guitar, in addition to the soft drums and piano, give the whole song multiple layers of melancholy. It uses that country sliding guitar sound throughout the song, but it stays in the background, never feeling like it’s forced. All this together makes the song feel like you’re sitting inside of a house with only a lamp and a fireplace on, thinking about lost love. Mojave 3 tends to return to a delicate theme in their music in future albums.

“Ask Me Tomorrow” is also the most overtly dreamy album in Mojave 3’s discography, and no song demonstrates this more than penultimate song “Pictures.” “Pictures” uses a brand of dreaminess closer to a lot of slowcore albums by being more minimalist with guitar tones. “Pictures” does this well by not including more acoustic guitar elements but by adding soft drums as well. The song is decidedly happier than most other songs on the album, too, reminding the listener of a nice stroll down the park in your hometown and smelling something you haven’t smelled in years that you can’t put your finger on.

Overall, I recommend you to “Mojave see” what Mojave 3 has going on in this album. The album is perfect for those who are into listening to slowcore that may want a tinge of country to that style of music. Its delicate nature also adds a layer of depth, and it’s an element done so well that the band continues to use it throughout their discography.