Wikipedia

Rachel Goswell

For other uses, seeGoswell (disambiguation).

Rachel Ann Goswell(born 16 May 1971) is an English singer-songwriter and musician who rose to prominence as vocalist and guitarist of theshoegazebandSlowdive,which formed in 1989. Goswell, along withNeil Halstead,Ian McCutcheon and formerChapterhousemember Simon Rowe becameMojave 3when Slowdive transitioned to a more country/folk rock style.[1]She released a solo album in 2004, titledWaves Are Universalon4AD Records.

Rachel Goswell
WideAwake250524 (142 of 209) (53748686973).jpg
Rachel Goswell in concert with Slowdive in 2024
Background information
Birth nameRachel Ann Goswell
Born(1971-05-16)16 May 1971(age 53)
Fareham,England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
Instruments
Years active1988–present
Labels
Member ofSlowdive,Minor Victories
Formerly ofMojave 3
Spouses
Christopher Andrews
​
​
(m.1994;div.2000)​
Steve Clarke
​
(m.2018)​

Early life

edit

Goswell was born inFareham,Hampshire,England. Her family moved toWalesafter her birth, and toReading, Berkshirewhen she was seven, where she spent the rest of her youth.[2]She has an older brother.[2]

Her father taught her folk guitar songs from the age of seven, and she began studyingclassical guitarand music theory at age ten.[2]Goswell took classical guitar lessons along with childhood friend Neil Halstead, with whom she formedSlowdivein 1989.[3]She was influenced, from a singing point of view, bySiouxsie Sioux",[4]"it was [she] who made me want to be a singer."[5]Joni Mitchell,Iggy PopandNick Cavewere her other favorite singers.[6]Goswell was also inspired by theCocteau Twins;she discovered their music at 16 and "found myself immersed in the magic and wonder of their overall sound musically."[7]The songs that influenced her the most were: "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"byThe Smiths,"92 Degrees" fromSiouxsie and the Banshees'Tinderboxalbum, "Persephone" from Cocteau Twins'Treasurealbum and "River"by Joni Mitchell.[8]

Career

edit
Main articles:SlowdiveandMojave 3

Goswell formed the indie rock band the Pumpkin Fairies withNeil Halstead,Adrian Sell and Nick Chaplin in 1988, after having played in several cover bands in Reading.[9]When the Pumpkin Fairies dissolved in 1989, the group then formedSlowdivein the same year.[10]She was a member of Slowdive until the band's dissolution in 1995. After the disbandment, Goswell and Halstead formedMojave 3,an offshoot of Slowdive; the group captured a more folk rock-oriented sound as opposed to Slowdive's shoegaze sound. They released five albums, their last beingPuzzles Like Youin 2006, before going on a hiatus.[11]

The year 2004 saw Goswell release solo recordings with co-writer Joe Light and producer David Naughton. Nine months after Mojave 3 releasedSpoon and Rafter,she releasedThe Sleep ShelterEP.Waves Are Universal,her first full-length recording, appeared a month later.[12]Tiny Mix Tapesdescribed the record as "delicate and well-thought out" despite occasionally veering towards "the frankly repulsive world of adult contemporary" whilePitchfork Mediathought the album was "warm [and] summery... agreeable, if not very exciting".[13][14]Stylus Magazinestated thatWaves Are Universalis "a solid album that could appeal to both fans of [Goswell's] previous work and others".[15]In February 2005, a limited edition remix 12 "(also available as a download) entitledCoastline/Pluckedwas issued and features two mixes apiece fromthe EarliesandUlrich Schnauss.

Rachel Goswell performing withSlowdiveat Way Back When Festival 2017 inDortmund

In 2014, Slowdive, with Goswell, performed for gigs and have declared in interviews that they would be working on new material.[11]The band continue to tour. In 2016 Goswell joinedStuart Braithwaite,Justin Lockeyand James Lockey to form the bandMinor Victories.Their self-titled debut was released in June 2016 onFat Possum Records.[16]

In April 2019, Goswell and her husband Steve Clarke announced a new musical project called the Soft Cavalry.[17]On 5 July 2019, the duo released their self titled EP, which since then has been acclaimed by critics.[18]

Personal life

edit

Goswell was in a relationship with fellow Slowdive vocalist and guitaristNeil Halsteadfrom 1989 to 1993, breaking up shortly before the release ofSouvlaki.[19]

Goswell was married toAir Cuba's Christopher Andrews from 1994 until 2000.[20]Goswell was involved with American songwriterMark Kozelekduring the Mojave 3 era, which he referenced on theSun Kil Moonsong "Garden of Lavender".[16][21]

In 2018, Goswell married Steve Clarke, Slowdive's tour manager.[22][23][24]

Goswell is partiallydeafas a result oflabyrinthitis(a viral infection) which occurred in 2006.[16]This left her with chronictinnitusin one ear and she also had debilitatingbalance problemswhich required physiotherapy for a year. As a result, Goswell had to stop playing and touring with Mojave 3.[11]

In 2010 Goswell gave birth to a son who hasCHARGE syndrome;he is profoundly deaf and has a serious heart condition which resulted inopen heart surgeryat the age of five months.[25][26][27]She is learningBritish Sign Languageand is vocal about the rights of parents of deaf children to have free access to learning sign language.[25]

Equipment

edit

Rachel Goswell's 1993 Slowdive guitar rig consisted of a Fender '72 Telecaster Thinline, aBossOD-2Turbo Overdrive,aYamahaFX-500Multi-FX unitand aRolandJC-77Jazz Chorus2x10combo amp.[28]Since Slowdive's reunion in 2014, Rachel Goswell's main guitar on tour is a Custom77 The Roxy – Hollowbody.[29]She also frequently uses a Roland Juno 106 synthesizer.

Discography

edit
Slowdive
Main article:Slowdive discography
Mojave 3
Main article:Mojave 3 discography
Minor Victories
The Soft Cavalry
  • The Soft Cavalry(2019)
Rachel Goswell
  • The Sleep Shelter EP(17 May 2004) 4AD BAD 2402
  • Waves Are Universal(14 June 2004) 4AD CAD 2414
  • Coastline / Pluckedsingle (14 February 2005) 4AD TAD 2501

Notes and references

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^Kellman, Andy."Rachel Goswell Overview".Allmusic.Retrieved10 October2009.
  2. ^abcGoswell, Rachel (20 July 2004)."Rachel Goswell - Interview Part 1".Pennyblack Music(Interview). Interviewed by Anthony Strutt.Retrieved28 December2016.
  3. ^"Rachel Goswell of Slowdive".Creation Records.October 2002.Retrieved11 November2013.
  4. ^Trunick, Austin"Slowdive Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell on the bands that inspired them".Undertheradar. June/July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2015
  5. ^Graeme Thomson."The Return of Slowdive".heraldscotland. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017
  6. ^Luis Fernando Romero Alcántar.With Rachel Goswell about Slowdive, Shoegaze and her supergroup.yaconic. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  7. ^Pearis, Bill (17 September 2020)."Cocteau Twins' vast influence lives on:: 24 great artists they've inspired".BrooklynVegan.Retrieved20 March2021.
  8. ^"This Music Made Me: The Soft Cavalry – Rachel Goswell and Steve Clarke's most influential music".musicomh /. 28 June 2019. Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2019.Retrieved9 November2021.
  9. ^Buckley & Lewis 1996,p. 799.
  10. ^Buckley & Edroso 2003,p. 956.
  11. ^abcClay, Joe (29 January 2014)."There Seems To Be A Lot Of Love Out There: A Slowdive Interview".The Quietus.Retrieved21 May2016.
  12. ^"Points of Impact".CMJ New Music Report.14 June 2004 – via Google Books.
  13. ^"Music Review: Rachel Goswell - Waves Are Universal".Tiny Mix Tapes.Retrieved14 February2021.
  14. ^Deusner, Stephen M. (8 September 2004)."Waves Are Universal".Pitchfork Media.Retrieved2 October2009.
  15. ^Mathers, Ian (22 July 2004)."Waves Are Universal".Stylus Magazine.Retrieved2 October2009.
  16. ^abcDeVille, Chris (21 May 2016)."Q&A: Minor Victories' Rachel Goswell On Hearing Loss, Mark Kozelek, And The Future Of Slowdive".Stereogum.Retrieved21 May2016.
  17. ^Yoo, Noah (17 April 2019)."The Soft Cavalry (Slowdive's Rachel Goswell) Announce Debut Album, Share New Song: Listen".Pitchfork.Retrieved20 March2021.
  18. ^The Soft Cavalry by The Soft Cavalry,retrieved20 March2021
  19. ^DiGiacomo, Frank (30 August 2023)."Slowdive's Rachel Goswell on the Band's New Album, Coping With Hearing Impairment & Her Hopes for Meeting Siouxsie Sioux".Billboard.Retrieved1 September2023.
  20. ^Goswell, Rachel (24 September 2004)."Rachel Goswell - Interview Part 3".Pennyblack Music(Interview). Interviewed by Anthony Strutt.Retrieved28 December2016.
  21. ^"Mark Kozelek Announces Spoken Word Album, Collaboration With Slowdive's Rachel Goswell".Stereogum.7 July 2015.Retrieved1 September2023.
  22. ^"Rachel Goswell and Steve Clarke on The Soft Cavalry - The Skinny".theskinny.co.uk.Retrieved18 March2021.
  23. ^Gourlay, Dom."The Soft Cavalry – Steve Clarke and Rachel Goswell on Their Self-Titled Debut Album".undertheradarmag.Retrieved18 March2021.
  24. ^"Slowdive's Rachel Goswell Partners with Her Husband for New Project the Soft Cavalry".PopMatters.16 July 2019.Retrieved18 March2021.
  25. ^abKusumah, Aldy (February 2013)."RACHEL GOSWELL:" I am so out of touch with current music. "".The Bastards of Young.Retrieved11 November2013.
  26. ^"Rachel Goswell biography".In.Archived fromthe originalon 9 November 2013.Retrieved10 November2013.
  27. ^Roberts, Michael (6 May 1996)."Just Deserts".Denver Westword.Retrieved10 November2013.
  28. ^Cooper, Adam (25 Apr 1999)."Rachel Goswell's 1993 Slowdive Guitar Rig"Archived29 November 2012 at theWayback Machine.GuitarGeek.Com.
  29. ^"Rachel Goswell of Slowdive In Premier Guitar".Lindsey Best.23 September 2014.Retrieved21 May2016.

References

edit
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related toRachel Goswell.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rachel_Goswell&oldid=1259774131"