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THE REVIEW
The past is full of albums waiting to be discovered. Hidden gems. Listens denied to our ears. Bands to obsess over that will never be discovered. Albums to wear out that never will be. But. But sometimes a small short-circuit, a randomness, allows us to make great discoveries.
Hope Sandoval has an ethereal voice. Not of this world. Intangible and sensual. Hope is the voice of the best track from the latest Massive Attack. That “Paradise Circus” that enchants. The best track of the lot. And it's she who sings it, she who enchants and seduces.
But who is Hope Sandoval? What other melodies has she enchanted with her voice? I discover that she was the singer of such a band, Mazzy Star. A group that composed an album considered a small masterpiece back in 1993.
In 1993, there is Grunge. Nirvana. Pearl Jam. Stuff like that. Their nihilism. Their fury. But there is another America. Another music. Other soundscapes. Deconstruction, not anger. Where the singing is furious and the melodies burning, they respond with an ethereal voice and dreamy melodies.
“So Tonight That I Might See” (Mazzy Star’s masterpiece) is from 1993. The album opens with “Fade into you”. A piece that pierces you without noticing. A poignant and disenchanted folk ballad that captures you at first listen. The voice of Hope there to haunt you. Those touches of slide guitar. Piano. Just this track, one of the most beautiful ballads I've heard, would be enough to decree the beauty of this album. But “Fade into you” is just the first track of an (almost) perfect album.
“So Tonight That I Might See” is a succession of splendid songs, with echoes of the psychedelic school of The Doors and Velvet Underground, shoegaze reverberations, slow-core atmospheres, and a folk-pop soul. Then there is Hope's voice branding each track.
Rock like you've never heard it until now. Dilated. Ethereal. Slowed down to the extreme but, at the same time, stunning. A gem. A classic. A masterpiece with no more secrets. At least for me.
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Summary by Bot
The review praises Mazzy Star's 1993 album 'So Tonight That I Might See' as a hidden gem delivering ethereal and dreamy melodies led by Hope Sandoval's unforgettable voice. It highlights 'Fade Into You' as a poignant ballad and the album's blend of folk-pop, shoegaze, and psychedelic influences. Positioned against the grunge era, this album offers a unique, slowed-down, and haunting rock experience. The reviewer regards it as a masterpiece and a classic worth discovering.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Mazzy Star
American dream pop/neo-psychedelia band formed in 1989 by guitarist David Roback and vocalist Hope Sandoval, rising to prominence with the 1993 single “Fade Into You” from So Tonight That I Might See; they returned with Seasons of Your Day (2013) and the EP Still (2018).07 Reviews
Other reviews
By Mario
Hope Sandoval whispering to you indolent and aching among the fabric: 'you will end up asleep or in love among the folds of this album'.
If Rock and Roll is dead... this (album) is the moon on its grave, or rather, the reflection of the moon on its grave.
By CosmicJocker
Austere artisans of a silvery and calm psych-pop-rock, hazy and mellow, Mazzy Star manage to concoct sophisticated potions.
'Fade Into You' opens our hearts with a sweet nostalgia for the time that passes relentlessly.
By paolofreddie
"Fade Into You" is one of those ballads you can always count on: magical, suspended in another dimension.
Mazzy Star's contribution to the music of the time is more substantial, original and magical: no anger, or rather, anger suffocated by sweetness and abandonment.
