The songs remain simple, yet the interplay between the instruments is more intricate and lively than before, with new textures - twinkles of glockenspiel, splashes of Moog, quivers of theremin - falling with ease into the snug mix.
It's difficult to fault Mojave 3 for hanging their hat on the same old peg while they're cranking out pearls like this. All of their albums manage to be both utterly classicist and utterly fresh and this one contains some of Halstead's finest compositions.
Even more countrified than the preceding Ask Me Tomorrow, the album possesses a dusty melancholia that's truly affecting - no longer hiding behind an impenetrable wall of noise, Halstead blossoms instead into a superb writer.
Barely altered from the demo recordings that landed the band the deal with 4AD, Ask Me Tomorrow is a thing of understated, unpolished beauty. The vocals are sweetly entwined throughout and the record culminates in the epic "Mercy", a highlight of their live show.
