Rachel Ann Goswell (born 16 May 1971) is an English musician who rose to prominence as vocalist and guitarist of the
shoegaze
Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with dream pop) is a subgenre of indie rock, indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion (music), distortion and effects, a ...
band
Slowdive
Slowdive (stylized in lowercase) are an English people, English rock band that formed in Reading, Berkshire, in 1989. The band consists of Neil Halstead (vocals, guitars), Rachel Goswell (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Christian Savill (guitars) ...
, which formed in 1989. Goswell, along with
Neil Halstead
Neil Halstead (born 7 October 1970) is an English musician known as the singer, primary songwriter, producer and guitarist of shoegaze band Slowdive. He has been hailed by AllMusic as "one of Britain's most respected songwriters", and '' Time O ...
, Ian McCutcheon and former
Chapterhouse member Simon Rowe became
Mojave 3
Mojave 3 were a British rock band consisting of former Slowdive members Neil Halstead (vocals, guitar), Rachel Goswell (vocals, bass) and Ian McCutcheon (drums) alongside keyboardist Alan Forrester and former Chapterhouse guitarist Simon Rowe. ...
when Slowdive transitioned to a more country/folk rock style.
She released a solo album in 2004, titled ''
Waves Are Universal'' on
4AD Records
4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of t ...
.
Early life
Goswell was born in
Fareham
Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufac ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, England. Her family moved to
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
after her birth, and to
Reading, Berkshire
Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...
when she was seven, where she spent the rest of her youth.
She has an older brother.
[
Her father taught her folk guitar songs from the age of seven, and she began studying ]classical guitar
The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...
and music theory at age ten.[ Goswell took classical guitar lessons along with childhood friend Neil Halstead, with whom she formed ]Slowdive
Slowdive (stylized in lowercase) are an English people, English rock band that formed in Reading, Berkshire, in 1989. The band consists of Neil Halstead (vocals, guitars), Rachel Goswell (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Christian Savill (guitars) ...
in 1989. She was influenced, from a singing point of view, by Siouxsie Sioux
Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), better known by her stage name Siouxsie Sioux (, ), is an English singer and songwriter. She came to prominence as the leader and main lyricist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, who w ...
", "it was hewho made me want to be a singer." Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...
, Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
and Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...
were her other favorite singers. Goswell was also inspired by the Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...
; she discovered their music at 16 and "found myself immersed in the magic and wonder of their overall sound musically." The songs that influenced her the most were: "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by guitarist Johnny Marr and lead vocalist Morrissey. Featured on the band's third studio album '' The Queen Is Dead'' (1986), it was not released as ...
" by The Smiths
The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...
, "92 Degrees" from Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...
' ''Tinderbox
A tinderbox, or patch box, is a container made of wood or metal containing flint, firesteel, and tinder (typically charcloth, but possibly a small quantity of dry, finely divided fibrous matter such as hemp), used together to help kindle a fi ...
'' album, "Persephone" from Cocteau Twins' ''Treasure
Treasure (from from Greek ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions legally define what constit ...
'' album and "River
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
" by Joni Mitchell.
Career
Goswell formed the indie rock band the Pumpkin Fairies with Neil Halstead
Neil Halstead (born 7 October 1970) is an English musician known as the singer, primary songwriter, producer and guitarist of shoegaze band Slowdive. He has been hailed by AllMusic as "one of Britain's most respected songwriters", and '' Time O ...
, Adrian Sell and Nick Chaplin in 1988, after having played in several cover bands in Reading. When the Pumpkin Fairies dissolved in 1989, the group then formed Slowdive
Slowdive (stylized in lowercase) are an English people, English rock band that formed in Reading, Berkshire, in 1989. The band consists of Neil Halstead (vocals, guitars), Rachel Goswell (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Christian Savill (guitars) ...
in the same year. She was a member of Slowdive until the band's dissolution in 1995. After the disbandment, Goswell and Halstead formed Mojave 3
Mojave 3 were a British rock band consisting of former Slowdive members Neil Halstead (vocals, guitar), Rachel Goswell (vocals, bass) and Ian McCutcheon (drums) alongside keyboardist Alan Forrester and former Chapterhouse guitarist Simon Rowe. ...
, 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 being ''Puzzles Like You
''Puzzles Like You'' is the fifth and final studio album by the British country rock-folk group Mojave 3, released on 19 June 2006. The album was regarded as taking the band away from their old sound and leading into a more uptempo style. It w ...
'' in 2006, before going on a hiatus.
The year 2004 saw Goswell release solo recordings with co-writer Joe Light and producer David Naughton. Nine months after Mojave 3 released ''Spoon and Rafter
A spoon (, ) is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primar ...
'', she released ''The Sleep Shelter'' EP. ''Waves Are Universal'', her first full-length recording, appeared a month later. Tiny Mix Tapes
''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...
described the record as "delicate and well-thought out" despite occasionally veering towards "the frankly repulsive world of adult contemporary" while Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...
thought the album was "warm ndsummery ... agreeable, if not very exciting". Stylus Magazine
''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog.
Addi ...
stated that ''Waves Are Universal'' is "a solid album that could appeal to both fans of oswell'sprevious work and others". In February 2005, a limited edition remix 12" (also available as a download) entitled ''Coastline/Plucked'' was issued and features two mixes apiece from the Earlies and Ulrich Schnauss
Ulrich Schnauss (born 8 September 1977) is a German Electronic music, electronic musician and producer based in London, England. He was a member of Tangerine Dream from 2014 to 2020.
Biography
Ulrich Schnauss was born in the northern German ...
.
In 2014, Slowdive, with Goswell, performed for gigs and have declared in interviews that they would be working on new material. The band continue to tour. In 2016 Goswell joined Stuart Braithwaite
Stuart Leslie Braithwaite (born 10 May 1976) is a Scottish musician, singer and songwriter. He is the guitarist of post-rock band Mogwai, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums. He is also a member of the British alternative rock supergrou ...
, Justin Lockey and James Lockey to form the band Minor Victories. Their self-titled debut was released in June 2016 on Fat Possum Records
Fat Possum Records is an American independent record label based in Water Valley and Oxford, Mississippi. At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording previously unknown Mississippi blues artists (typically from Oxford or Holly Sprin ...
.
In April 2019, Goswell and her husband Steve Clarke announced a new musical project called the Soft Cavalry. On 5 July 2019, the duo released their self titled EP, which since then has been acclaimed by critics.
Personal life
Goswell was in a relationship with fellow Slowdive vocalist and guitarist Neil Halstead
Neil Halstead (born 7 October 1970) is an English musician known as the singer, primary songwriter, producer and guitarist of shoegaze band Slowdive. He has been hailed by AllMusic as "one of Britain's most respected songwriters", and '' Time O ...
from 1989 to 1993, breaking up shortly before the release of ''Souvlaki''.
Goswell was married to Air Cuba's Christopher Andrews from 1994 until 2000. Goswell was involved with American songwriter Mark Kozelek
Mark Edward Kozelek (born January 24, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and occasional actor. He is the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and was a founding member of the i ...
during the Mojave 3 era, which he referenced on the Sun Kil Moon
Sun Kil Moon is an American folk rock act from San Francisco, California, founded in 2002. Initially a continuation of the defunct indie rock band Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon is now the primary recording moniker of vocalist and guitarist M ...
song "Garden of Lavender".
In 2018, Goswell married Steve Clarke, Slowdive's tour manager.
Goswell is partially deaf
Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...
as a result of labyrinthitis
Labyrinthitis is inflammation of the labyrinth, a maze of fluid-filled channels in the inner ear. Vestibular neuritis is inflammation of the vestibular nerve (the nerve in the ear that sends messages related to motion and position to the brain) ...
(a viral infection) which occurred in 2006. This left her with chronic tinnitus
Tinnitus is a condition when a person hears a ringing sound or a different variety of sound when no corresponding external sound is present and other people cannot hear it. Nearly everyone experiences faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely ...
in one ear and she also had debilitating balance problems which required physiotherapy for a year. As a result, Goswell had to stop playing and touring with Mojave 3.
In 2010 Goswell gave birth to a son who has CHARGE syndrome
CHARGE syndrome (formerly known as CHARGE association) is a rare syndrome caused by a genetic disorder. First described in 1979, the acronym "CHARGE" came into use for newborn children with the congenital features of coloboma of the eye, heart ...
; he is profoundly deaf and has a serious heart condition which resulted in open heart surgery at the age of five months. She is learning British Sign Language
British Sign Language (BSL) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom and is the first or preferred language among the Deafness in the United Kingdom, deaf community in the UK. While private correspondence from William Stokoe hinted at a f ...
and is vocal about the rights of parents of deaf children to have free access to learning sign language.
Equipment
Rachel Goswell's 1993 Slowdive guitar rig consisted of a Fender '72 Telecaster Thinline, a Boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, ...
OD-2 Turbo Overdrive, a Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:
People
* Torakusu Yamaha, a Japanese businessman and founder of the Yamaha Corporation
Companies
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese musical instrument and audio equipment manufacturer
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organi ...
FX-500 Multi-FX unit and a Roland
Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...
JC-77 Jazz Chorus 2x10 combo amp
A guitar amplifier (or amp) is an electronic device or system that strengthens the electrical signal from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar so that it can produce sound through one or more loudspeakers, which are ...
. Since Slowdive's reunion in 2014, Rachel Goswell's main guitar on tour is a Custom77 The Roxy – Hollowbody. She also frequently uses a Roland Juno 106 synthesizer.
Discography
; Slowdive
*''Just for a Day
''Just for a Day'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Slowdive, released on 2 September 1991 by Creation Records.
Style
Music critic Jim DeRogatis called the album's style “one of the lushest and most layered sounds of the shoega ...
'' (1991)
*''Souvlaki
Souvlaki (, , ; plural: , ) is a Greek food item consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. It is usually eaten straight off the skewer while still hot. It can be served with or inside a rolled pita, typica ...
'' (1993)
*'' Pygmalion'' (1995)
* ''Slowdive'' (2017)
*'' Everything Is Alive ''(2023)
;
;Mojave 3
*''Ask Me Tomorrow
''Ask Me Tomorrow'' is the debut album by Mojave 3, released by 4AD on 16 October 1995 in the UK and on 16 January 1996 in the US. The album was released roughly eight months after the release of '' Pygmalion'', the third studio album by Mojave ...
'' (1995)
*''Out of Tune
''Out of Tune'' is a British children's TV sitcom which was shown on CBBC from 1996 to 1998.
The show revolves around a group of fictional children who are part of a church choir at a school, focusing on their humorous misadventures during pract ...
'' (1998)
*''Excuses for Travellers
''Excuses for Travellers'' is the third album by Mojave 3, released by 4AD on 15 May 2000 in the UK and 5 September 2000 in the US. It features the singles "In Love with a View," "Any Day Will Be Fine," and "Return to Sender." The album was rel ...
'' (2000)
*''Spoon and Rafter
A spoon (, ) is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primar ...
'' (2003)
*''Puzzles Like You
''Puzzles Like You'' is the fifth and final studio album by the British country rock-folk group Mojave 3, released on 19 June 2006. The album was regarded as taking the band away from their old sound and leading into a more uptempo style. It w ...
'' (2006)
;Minor Victories
*'' Minor Victories'' (2016)
;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 / Plucked'' single (14 February 2005) 4AD TAD 2501
Notes and references
Notes
References
*
*
External links
*
Rachel Goswell
4AD page
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goswell, Rachel
1971 births
Living people
4AD artists
Deaf musicians
English women guitarists
English guitarists
English women singer-songwriters
English singer-songwriters
People from Fareham
British women rock singers
British women bass guitarists
British shoegaze musicians
English deaf people
21st-century English women singers
21st-century English singers
21st-century English bass guitarists