Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #186202 in Music
• Released on: 2007-08-06
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Import

Amazon.co.uk Review
After Los Angeles's "Paisley Underground" movement ground to a halt, Rain Parade founder David Roback formed Opal with Dream Syndicate's Kendra Smith, whose replacement by relative newcomer Hope Sandoval gave birth to Mazzy Star. With one foot in ethereal art-rock and the other in high, lonesome psychedelia, this debut album has all the elements of the band's haunting sound. On "Before I Sleep" and "Sailing", Sandoval's vocals sound like the last bit of molasses dripping from a large, echo-laden jug, while Roback's guitar slips easily from shimmery arpeggios to earthy slides. They even rock out on "Ghost Highway" and get downright Doors-like on the title cut. And while their cover of Slapp Happy's "Blue Flower" may, er, pale before Pale Saints' version of same, this freshman effort is worth working your way back to. --Bill Forman

Customer Reviews

Hot dang it's a real purdy album
Sweet honey-scented words drip like treacle from the louche lips of Hope Sandoval, accompanied by slack psychedelic country-rock janglings on guitar. Downtempo but never dull, this masterpiece of alt.rock falls somewhere between folk, rock, country and psychedelia, managing to sound both melancholy and blissful at the same time. An album for smoky, hazy and lazy summer afternoons or long, dark, lonely nights.

Lovely
Mazzy Star's debut album is a dreamy blend of folk/pop with hints of blues and a twist of 1960s-style psychedelic rock. What really stands out, though, is Hope Sandoval's remarkable voice, by turns honeyed, strong and plaintive but always pretty damn sexy.

The most successful tracks are those with a more minimal backing to Sandoval's vocals, for example `Ride It On' and `Give You My Loving'. `I'm Sailing' shows a strong blues influence whilst `Ghost Highway' and the title track are rockier numbers. These latter songs are the albums slight weak points, the title track in particular outstays its welcome a little.

The lyrics match Sandoval's vocals beautifully - melancholy tales of absent men and unrequited love are steeped in the atmosphere of America's Deep South.

`She Hangs Brightly' is a lovely record with few faults; as mentioned the best tracks are truly exquisite. Recommended.

A RITES OF PASSAGE MUST-HAVE
This haunting, beautiful enchanting LP is a must have in your collection. The singer recently collaborated with the Chemical Brothers on their recent album and brought life and feeling to their empty beats!