Q&A - Mojave 3

Mojave 3’s always been a pop band of sorts, but it’s never been as obvious as it is with its latest.

This month’s Puzzles Like You (4AD) (read Aversion’s review) takes the venerable folk-pop-indie outfit away from the stretches of quiet Scottish indie rock and into the sparkling world of pure pop. Although the act doesn’t kiss its signature sound goodbye, it’s a big step forward in the band’s evolution. It’s one that, as singer/guitarist Neil Halstead tells us, wasn’t made with an eye on the pop charts as many grumpy fans contend.

With each album you seem to be able to find a broader appeal, more so with Puzzles Like You than anything else. Is it difficult to keep yourself centered while growing and changing your music?

No, I think that it is important to try new stuff, you know. We wanted to make a record that carried a little fun with it, but I think however you approach a record it will ultimately become a mirror so really the change comes from within rather than the other way ’round.

With that said, as your style changes, your longtime fans have to adapt. I’ve seen some message-board chatter complaining that Puzzles is too pop. How do you respond to those complaints?

Well in all honesty we don’t ever respond. What would you say? Sorry? I personally find it disappointing if people don’t like what we do, but of course you cannot ever make a record that everyone will love. We have, though, been absolutely overwhelmed by all the positive messages we have received from fans who love the record and I suppose that tends to mean much more to us.

You and Rachel have both recorded solo albums. What do you think you brought back to Mojave 3 from those experiences?

Well everyone involved in the band does have other creative outputs. Ian has a band called the Loose Salute and Al plays with them also. I think it frees the band from ego in some ways. Mojave has a freer existence because it is not the only egg in the basket and it’s healthier for that. Playing music with different people opens your eyes to new ways of working. Your musical world is enriched and hopefully that enriches what you do in the future.

Through the Internet Archive (pops to new window), you’ve made a ton of live recordings available for free download. Besides being an amazing boon for fans, that seems to be a pretty good compromise between freely giving out your albums and giving honest, curious potential fans a taste of your music. Is that a difficult balance for bands to strike in this day and age?

I think we would prefer people to get the music from us than a random website, though I’m sure they can do that as well. It is a balancing act in some respects, but I think we tend to see it as good opportunity to get the music out there . To be honest, I’m not very good with computers and fairly old fashioned in that I prefer to listen to music off vinyl, so to say that I have not really engaged with the whole music on the internet debate would be absolutely correct.

– R. Paul Matthews

For more information on Mojave 3, including featured interviews and reviews, click here.