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Prodcut Description: [More Information ...] Like a rustic version of the Tindersticks, Willard Grant Conspiracy croon soft songs about existential despair, crafting a worldview that balances Nietzsche with Bob Dylan on barbiturates. The downcast mood of tunes such as "Another Lonely Night" and the aptly titled "Love Has No Meaning," though, doesn't mean there isn't something to recommend. Like a harsh winter storm that wreaks both havoc and beauty in its unequivocal path, their third album, Mojave, isn't all emotional damage. The near-hymnlike solemnity of the song cycle creates a healing calm from which the singer's Mark Lanegan-meets-Nick Cave growl can pontificate. At times, it's less the sound of a band in the middle of the night than a mutated country ensemble ("Color of the Sun") broken down on the side of the road. A plethora of guests (the notable Edith Frost among them) add minor shades of variety to the proceedings. --Rob O'Connor
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Reviews:
crash test dummies,my ass!!! Great cd,great band.Enough said!!! Ominous and Rustic but Disappointing Mojave is filled with sad and beautiful rustic songs. Its very reminicent of old Crash Test Dummies. Superman's Song from CTD's 1st album would fit right into Mojave -- almost. Mojave feels less contrived, less hook oriented. Its soul is truer. Its dark and ominous storm clouds weighted with rain. Each song is superbly crafted. This would be the perfect album for driving along country roads at dusk. Its a puzzle why WGC chose to inlude Go Jimmy Go. On its own it's not a bad song but a rocker like that is a definite mood ruiner when listening to the whole album.Why only 1 star? I didn't like them. There's nothing wrong with them per se, it just lacks something to make them work. Maybe its the Crash Test Dummies vocals. I'm impressed I watch the stars run away/ They can't wait to leave/ the sky today/---Thus begins Another Lonely Night, the first track of Willard Grant Conspiracy's _Mojave_. And it got me. Bad. It's a beautiful song.The rest of the album is uneven and repetitive, but it has moments of sheer brilliance. Take Archy's Lullaby, for instance...slow, beautiful, haunting. It's one of those songs that glues itself to one's mind. Take The Work Song and its lovely lyrics...soothing, and peace inspiring.The Nick Cave comparison doesn't really strike me as appropriate. WGC's vocalist sounds a lot like Nick, but the music is also a lot different. It might appeal to Cave's fans though. I know I am one, and I loved WGC.But anyway, this is a band that needs to be discovered. They're _very_ good. Devastaingly somber, deeply foreboding music. The cumulative effect of listening to these story-songs, steeped in rich lyrical detail that's allusive rather than conclusive is like hearing a summer storm brewing in the dark distance. It only sounds quiet, but you know what's coming. |
Keyword: Music,
Description: Mojave

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