She Hangs Brightly

by

Mazzy Star

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My best friend Tony and I piled ourselves and our surfing gear into his old Fiat to begin the hour-long drive to the beach for a day of surfing He says, "here,I'll take care of the music", and puts in a cassette of someone called Mazzy Star. I'm not one of those people who makes snap judgements about music, for better or for worse. Whatever the end result may be, There are a few exceptions, and She Hangs Brightly ended up to be just such an exception. No more than 90 seconds into Halah, the opening track, I found myself saying to Tony, "Who is this?? I REALLY like this....whoever it is."

So that was the first day I ever heard the completely unique sounds of Mazzy Star, and I can still recall the exact moment well over 10 years later.

I went on to spend the entire decade of the '90s calling Mazzy Star one of my favorite bands whenever the topic came up in conversation. Even though I give this one five stars, I actually prefer the other two a bit more I think, particularly So Tonight That I Might See, their second release. There's just something about that album. It's like their sound overall...I can't really put my finger on it. Maybe that's the whole point. Yes, Hope Sandoval's blissfully enchanting voice has alot to do with it. And as much as she no doubt hates hearing it, it was easy to fall in love with her vicariously through her dreamy vocals. But a sexy frontwoman alone does not a great band make. The musicianship of the rest of the band is equal in its ability to enchant the listener. In other words, Mazzy Star was always more than just a pretty face. The band had an elusive quality about them, an element of mystery. You can get lost in their music. If you were a drug user, you no doubt spent many memorable moments letting the swirling sounds overtake you and your senses (and I suppose an equal number that aren't so memorable). While I've done my share of experimentation, I always found Mazzy's music plenty powerful to put me into that special state of mind even when stone cold sober. One just needs to be in an introspective mood (and a good pair of headphones doesn't hurt). This isn't the sort of album you put into your Walkman when heading out for a jog though, clearly.

Recalling my first exposure to this wonderful band - seemingly now defunct - is a pleasant memory. If you've read other reviews of their albums, you should by now have an idea whether or not Mazzy Star is up your alley. If you have even the vaguest feeling that it is, don't hesitate to give them a try right away.

Mazzy Star's brand of tambourine pop isn't terribly compelling on the first listen, since it's all mellow and swirly and gentle. Nary a pop hook or goofy sentiment can be found. But "She Hangs Brightly" has an odd quality of sinking into your brain and making you feel almost as mellow as the music.

The first few songs sound a bit too similar, except for the roaring guitar riff in "Blue Flower." Then things stray into psychedelic turf in the spacey "She Hangs Brightly," followed by the vaguely tropical "I'm Sailin'," pleasant "Give You My Lovin'," the distant and slightly eerie "Taste of Blood," echoing and creepy "Ghost Highway," and finishing off with the soft "Before I Sleep."

Psychedelica. Blues. Folk. They don't usually go together, but they mesh in a moderately successful way here. "She Hangs Brightly" is simply sweet blues-folk-psychedelica-pop without pretensions. It's not outstanding or earthshattering, but it does make you drift away on its sweet melodies.

Guitar and a tambourine are the center of the music -- again, things that don't seem to go together. The electric guitar is a constant dark presence behind the vocals, swirling and growling constantly; the acoustic guitar adds a more organic sound to songs like "I'm Sailin'." And then the tambourine gets hit about every two seconds, on average.

Hope Sandoval has a lovely voice, very soft, childlike and clear. At times she sounds like a folkier version of Sundays frontwoman Harriet Wheeler; the biggest flaw with it is that sometimes her voice sounds strangely metallic. And the songwriting itself has either a sweetly Southern flair, or a wistful quality ("She hangs brightly from the tree/Wonders what she's done to me...")

Mazzy star's "She Hangs Brightly" is a pretty, folky little album with angelic vocals and some nice tambourine/guitar pop songs. A pleasant listen.