I mentioned in the last posting some recent Vinyl acquisitions - one being the limited edition, blue tinted 7" just released by the dream-folk duo known as Mazzy Star. It's been 15 years since their last release of newly written material, so I was surprised to see it on the shelves at the local store.
Mazzy Star is a folky, dream-pop duo that formed in Santa Monica, CA in 1989. The group was born out of the "Paisley Underground" scene of the West Coast and was originally started by guitarist Dave Roback and bassist Kendra Smith, but singer Hope Sandoval joined shortly after when Smith backed out during a tour with Jesus and Mary Chain. The group's sound demonstrates a distinct range from country-oriented folk to dreamy psychedelic pop, which makes sense considering their "Paisley-related" background and their less direct connections to the sounds of Shoegazers. In fact, one could describe Mazzy Star as the Mojave 3 of California alt. rock...
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| Now that's some nice wax! |
Mazzy Star released their first full length album, She Hangs Brightly, on Rough Trade in 1990, but the group experienced little commercial success until the release of the 2nd album, So Tonight That I Might See (1993 Capital Records), and its single, "Fade Into You" - a song that I think everyone has heard. From here, the story starts to sound very familiar: Capital began applying pressure to adopt certain commercial formulas to reproduce that "hit sound" that is "Fade into You." Their creativity and writing process became more and more stifled by the scrutiny of business executives who cared little for the music itself, so after the release of their final studio album, Among My Swan (1996 Capital Records), Hope Sandoval reportedly begged to be released from her recording contract, and the rest is silence....
Well, not exactly true. Hope Sandoval continued to collaborate with many artists (Jesus and Mary Chain, Massive Attack, Bert Jansch, Air, etc.), and in 2000, she joined former drummer of My Bloody Valentine, Colm O Ciosoig, to form the project, Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions. One immediately notices that Hope & the Warm Inventions have never released albums on a corporate, leviathan-like label such as Capital. Their first full length, Bavarian Fruit Bread (2001), was released through Rough Trade, for instance. Hope Sandoval's recent work with the Warm Inventions is without a doubt worth a proper listen - especially if one is a Mazzy fan. It's less minimal and a little less folky than the Mazzy catalogue; most songs, for example, incorporate larger arrangements of instrumentation.
For many of us, Bavarian Fruit Bread, appeared to be the last chapter in the musical story of Hope Sandoval, but the silence was not to last. Sandoval and the Inventions returned 8 years later to release Through the Devil Softly (2009 Nettwerk Records) - a fact that should not have surprised if one really reflects upon the pace of her recording career. She definitely does not rush the creative process - perhaps another reason she could no longer stomach the corporate climate of the music industry...
So this brings us up to date, yet once again, I was surprised (perhaps mistakenly so) to see the newly released Mazzy Star 7", "Common Burn"/"Lay Myself Down". The two songs are great - "Common Burn" reminds me of the dreamier side of Mazzy's folk compositions:
That's a great tune, but my favorite of the two is the b-side, "Lay Myself Down," - a song that references the more country side of the folk tradition. Check it out:
So the word is out; new album will be appearing later this year. If we've learned anything from Hope Sandoval, however, she's not in a hurry to market her creativity and artistry, so who knows when we'll see some more material. Definitely pick up the 7" though - it's excellent. Sorry, no link for this one.... It's only 2 songs! Go ye forth and purchase!
Peace.
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