You can't go see Slowdive play live anytime soon, but you can check out Rachel Goswell. The former Slowdive and Mojave 3 girly takes to the road in the US this week in support of her first solo album, "Waves are Universal". The album, released on Beggars Banquet/4AD, was co-written with Joe Light and produced by David Naughton to praise from several critics...

"Waves Are Universal proves that Goswell can carry a whole record on her own without any trouble. " - All Music Guide
"Each song is meticulously constructed, and feels like a musical soundtrack to lush, magical worlds -- from the sound effects of birds chirping on "Gather Me Up," to the strings gently floating on the sunrise-glare of "Thru the Dawn" and "Hope," a Beth Orton-esque pastoral country strum." - Billboard

And not so much praise from others...

"From an album I expected so much of, this is a frankly dire effort. She totally overdoes the 'twee' effect, tries to over-instrument her songs to divert attention from her lacklustre melodies and has obviously spent no time whatsoever on the lyrics." - BBC Collective
"Goswell deserves praise for putting together a solid album that could appeal to both fans of her previous work and others; this is no rank piece of collector bait. But having at long last stretched her compositional and performing muscles, let's hope next time she builds on the stronger songs here." - Stylus Magazine

Regardless of the mixed reviews, live performances by Ms Goswell are a rare thing on this side of the Atlantic (or actually any side)...