Following solo records from both frontman Neil Halstead and bassist Rachel Goswell, and the faux-Americana of their third album, 2000’s Excuses For Travellers, Mojave 3 have found a more successful formula. Spoon And Rafter offers gentle, hymnal folk-rock, and is frequently utterly mesmerising. Much of the album is entirely acoustic, with only the layered “Billoddity” building to a robust climax. Halstead’s voice is understated throughout, adding a fragile loveliness to “She’s All Up Above” and “Starlite #1”, while the ethereal, piano-led “Hard To Miss You” is as beautiful as anything by Mercury Rev.