Reviews

Among My Swan

by Howard Petruziello - Music Monitor

A distorted chord ushers in a dense choir of psychedelic, bluesy guitar, dancing bells, rolling bass and a loping rhythm before Hope Sandoval's gently longing voice breaks through like the sun shatters thick morning fog. Sounds like a Mazzy Star record to me! The song is "Disappear" and it sets the stage for Among My Swan, the third release from the mysterious, misunderstood band.

From his days with the Rain Parade through the proto-Mazzy Star band Opal, David Roback has displayed more than his share of genius. His playing, while far from inventive, is as intriguing as his profile is low key and as he's done since those seminal days, he delicately strums along, adding healthy heaps of Velvet Underground-influenced leads, alternatingly sweet and numbing feedback-laden walls and soothing slide to the blend. Hope Sandoval's dreamy, solitary but far from frail voice sounds more confident than ever as she delivers her best lyrical and vocal performance to date.

Many of the plays come from the same droning, neo-psychedelic book that the band has pulled from on each of the previous records. On "Umbilical," which could be called "Inaudible," Sandoval's indecipherable whisper drowns in an ocean of reverb and delay as Roback glides up and down the neck, making his guitar sound like falling and shooting stars while the band lures you into an intoxicating whirlpool of hazy feedback and organ washes. "Roseblood" borrows, well, totally lifts the guitar from Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay," giving Roback space for his loose, blissful solos over the overused, but always effective, Mazzy Star slow-to-mid-tempo snare.

Although there's nothing as immediate as "Fade Into You" from So Tonight That I Might See or "Ghost Highway" or "Blue Flower" from She Hangs Brightly, Mazzy Star have again created a remarkable listening experience.

Beautifully sublime and graceful, they've hit the bullseye on Among My Swan, expanding on earlier ideas and crafting twelve exquisite songs that may not sway the masses, but are sure to add more fuel to their fans' fires. Too bad we probably won't get another one until 1999.