Reviews

The Supper Club, New York City, December 1, 1996

Mazzy Star: A resonant cloud in the rock universe
by Pat Charles - The Setonian

If you were to search the skies of the underground music world, there would be an enigmatic cloud hovering around a mesmerizingly beautiful Mazzy Star. The cloud depicts the amourphous, yet amorous, consonance that guitarist David Roback contributes, while the eternal flame, which burns dimly, represents the languid, yet seductive vocals of Hope Sandoval. Mazzy Star is a group as well as an experience.

In the midst of darkness stood Hope Sandoval, radiating her elegant bloom to an attentive New York City crowd at the Supper Club this past Sunday. Melodically shifting from Roback's magnetic, drone-like guitar riffs to the subtle chimes, distant organs and the mild impacts of Sandoval's tambourine. The decelerated temp was as graceful as the northern California sunset from where they hail.

Mazzy Star's music will draw your undivided attention toward a delightful mindstate and accompany your soul through the infinite air of euphoric elation. Hope Sandoval's fascinating voice glides with grace, as Roback softly strums his guitar, making the magical vibe all the more gorgeous.

Sandoval's dynamics evolve from a mysterious fog and pursue the abstract shape of innocence, which then floats across a tame river of passion. Her voice echoes with the overcoming essence of mystical emotion, as the background music laces it with comfort. Trying to pinpoint the magic in Mazzy Star's music is equivalent to describing the universe's transcendent content. Over 1,000 fortunate fans immediately fell into the group's sultry trance.

Mazzy Star enveloped the audience with their opening tune, "Disappear," the first cut off of their latest release, AMONG MY SWAN (Capitol Records). From then on, those in attendance absorbed the enigma, which flowed silently under every syllable Sandoval whispered. She presented other tracks like "Rhymes of an Hour," "Cry, Cry," "Flowers in December," and a spectacular composition titled "Take Everything."

Mazzy Star also unveiled some of the sweetly-expressed sounds, which are captured on their first two albums, "She Hangs Brightly" (1990) and "So Tonight That I Might See" (1993). For many people the show was a convincing, yet modest reinforcement of Mazzy Star's issustrious 6-year career dwelling in the shade of the underground music scene. For others it was a marvelous discovery, indicating a long period of deprivation. Sandoval, who writes most of the groupÕs lyrics, expresses thoughts of melancholy and spiritual growth, yet without remotely quelling the listenerÕs interest and mood.

In "Take Everything" Sandoval's resonant vocals are beautiful ("You've fallen from my eyes/that's the truth"). Seeing her perform in a small setting made the moment all the more intimate. It was like Mazzy Star's music was designed for the place. It was evident when the group generated the grooves "Halah" "Be My Angel," "Ride It On" and "Into Dust."

In a peculiar way, it was appealing to me how Sandoval and Roback said nothing throughout the show. There was no "hello," no "goodbye" and no "thank you." They didn't have to say anything, because their stage presence was as magnetic as gravity. They simply strolled on stage, transcended the atmosphere and virtually dissolved into thin air. That's when it all made sense to me why it's beneficial to reach for the sky.