Excuses for Travellers

Mojave 3 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 5, 2000)
• Original Release Date: September 5, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: 4ad / Ada
• ASIN: B00004SDQ9
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,470 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Old Favourite, December 14, 2002

By 

Alex Junaid "College Arty Type" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Excuses for Travellers (Audio CD)

This CD has long been a darling in my collection. I mention it a lot, reccomend it to friends, play it when I'm feeling down. Something about this album evokes a very strong emotion in me and gives me a very self-fulfilled feeling. I don't know how they've done it, but Mojave 3 have created a great album.

Neil Halstead sings on all but one song, and his wispy vocals are a highlight. He tells stories of love lost and gone wrong, of trying to make it in a big world that owes you nothing, of heartache, but of the glory that comes out of that sadness. The remaining track ("Bringin' Me Home") has vocal duties handed over to Rachel Goswell, which is one of the album's most delightful moments: a somewhat more chipper (in mood at least) song in the vein of Belle & Sebastian.

Musically, the album evoke a solid image. Some songs especially ("My Life in Art," "In Love With a View," "Prayer for the Paranoid," "She Broke You So Softly") recall images of sunsets, cowboys and dusty trails. Slide guitars, mellow strumming and lighter percussion paints the pictures in lots of warm colours. Of course it's not a country album, precisely, but the songs mix a strong country influence with some folk and pleasant soft rock to create that kind of mood. This is a largely acoustic album, but electric lead parts create some of the most gorgeous moods. It also has a full band sound to it, with the bass and drums sometimes more prevalent than others, but always providing the perfect backing.

One big criticism I've heard of this album is the fairly even level of the songs keep througout (ie: no variety). It's true that Mojave 3 really only do one thing here, but they do it very well, in my humble opinion. Check 'em out.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will Always Be One of My Favorites, September 17, 2005

By 

B. VanLaeken "Artist Mom" (Pembroke Pines, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Excuses for Travellers (Audio CD)

I first owned this on record. This is the perfect album for:
Roadtrips alone.
Roadtrips with a good friend.
A broken heart.
Anytime.

Neil Halstead reminds me of Nick Drake. Prayer for the Paranoid is a great song. I like that so far all of Mojave 3's albums have sounded somewhat different. This album has more of an "Out of Tune" feel to it than "Ask Me Tomorrow". It isn't Slowdive, but that's fine because it's nice to hear more than one type of music from a good band.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music to wallow in., March 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Excuses for Travellers (Audio CD)

As a die hard "Slowdive" fan, the transition to "Mojave 3" (I thought) would be hard to stomach. While I really enjoyed "Out of Tune" I couldnt help shake that "Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young" throwback vibe. "Excuses for Travelers" shows a maturity and self-identity that the last album seemed to lack. I really, really dig this album. I was recently vacationing on the "Isle of Skye" in Scotland. Driving around that beautifull place while listening to this CD (especially the track "My life in Art") was almost a relegious experience. This is truly a great CD and should not be missed. The ironic thing is that Mr. Halstead paints (to me at least) more of an "American" picture on some songs that our own countrymen only wish they could.