Mazzy Star
She Hangs Brightly

THE REVIEW

Los Angeles, 1980s. In the east side lives a young girl named Hope Sandoval. Mexican origin, like many from those parts; shy, neurotic, with a very sweet face, but one of those that's "a bit like that"; one of the most captivating and enchanting voices Mother Nature has ever given us. The father is absent, the family situation complicated; Hope begins to drop out of school and, as happens to many, seeks solace in Music. She stays in her room listening to records upon records, harboring the desire to "play like the Rolling Stones." A muse made to measure.

She tells her best friend, Sylvia Gomez, about it, and founds with her, just with her, the "Going Home": literally a voice and a guitar, proponents of melancholic, introspective, and languid folk. The two girls earn the appreciation of some local clubs, and naturally, they follow the local music scene closely. In L.A., it is the roaring years of the Paisley Underground, a splendid psychedelic revival filtered through punk and post-punk. One of the key bands of the movement is the Rain Parade with guitarist David Roback, and our girls are fervent admirers of them (who could blame them): in '83, they go to watch one of their concerts in Pasadena, after which Sylvia sneaks into the backstage and hands over a demo of Going Home to the good Roback. Dave listens and is happily impressed: these two are to be watched...

Four years later, "Happy Nightmare Baby" by the Opal sees the light, the swan song of the Paisley Underground. Roback is still on guitar, Kendra Smith, ex-Dream Syndicate, an obscure key figure of the scene, handles bass and vocals. The album is a masterpiece, but during the promotional tour, Kendra disappears without a trace; that's when David, contract-bound to release a second LP under the name Opal, remembers a voice, that voice. Hope arrives, listens to the material for the second album, likes it little, and the two start almost from scratch: the Mazzy Star are born.

"She Hangs Brightly" comes out in 1990, and it's an extraordinary album. I know, everyone knows Mazzy Star for "Fade Into You," part of that "So Tonight That I Might See" usually considered their masterpiece... and probably it is, but this first album remains my personal favorite.

Less dark, dreamy, compact, and magmatic compared to the following one, "She Hangs Brightly" is a kind of fabulous fusion between Roback's and Sandoval's repertoire; and this woman, with that voice, cannot help but impose herself on everything. Look at the cover of the interior of Hotel Tassel, symbol of Art Nouveau: Mazzy Star is the tendril of a wisteria that wraps around the soul.

The album revolves around the incredible title track: a sound carpet reminiscent of the Doors (speaking of L.A.), hypnotic organ, ghostly atmosphere, sepulchral psychedelia, in a swirling crescendo. A wonder of a song, which already anticipates some solutions of "So Tonight". The rest, however, is not inferior and, given its variety, I think it's useless and perhaps detrimental to write a lengthy piece going into detail: this album is a stream of amethysts to be listened to as a whole in one breath. I'll just mention a few: the acoustic, sweet, nostalgic "Ride it On"; the blues of "I'm Sailin", which sometimes reminded me of the legendary Robert Johnson. And finally, the two "blast from the past": "Give You My Lovin'" bears Gomez's signature, is enhanced by Roback's talented psych embroidery, and reminds me of some Velvet Underground; "Ghost Highway" was supposed to be the title track of the new Opal album, was written by David alone and, not surprisingly, it is the track where I think the Paisley influences are most marked. But I have not finished.

"Before I Sleep": I am compelled to write separately about this poignant, poetic finale. A finale of exquisite class, which reminds me of "I Can See It" by the divine My Bloody Valentine: after having spoken and thought so much about Love, it is time to go to bed. Mazzy Star are literally naked; Hope is literally naked, inside us. Again a voice and a guitar, making love with our spirit. A major chord seals the album. The music is over, the words are over, only the languor and the tears remain that this extraordinary group has shed in your eyes.

So many defenses, so many strategies, so much ferocity, when I am nothing but a boy who needs to give and receive love, and this Mazzy Star understood.

I talk so much about Death Metal, I talk about Grindcore... but who am I trying to fool?

Strong is your body, strong are your bones, strong as your bloody lie is uncovered...