Minor Victories was at first going to be an EP from Justin Lockey of the British band Editors. He picked his brother James to play drums, and vocalist Rachel Goswell of Slowdive and Mojave 3. Goswell drafted Mogwai guitarist Stuart Braithwaite, and the four started trading demos and files. The Twilight Sad’s James Graham got looped in to sing on one track; Mark Kozelek wrote lyrics for and dueted with Goswell on another. The result is a modern dream-pop classic, a victory more major than minor.
These are big, sweeping songs, dense with guitars and synths and layered vocals. Whether in the lead or backing one of the guys, Goswell’s airy voice provides the connective tissue, on the initially delicate “Folk Arp” as well as the thunderous “Scattered Ashes.” Minor Victories is a bit like Great Britain’s version of Broken Social Scene with its collaboration among equals and its penchant for glorious, cathartic climaxes.
—Steve Klinge
