Mazzy Star

Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1989 by David Roback (1958-2020) and Hope Sandoval.

Biography

David Roback first played as a guitarist in the Paisley underground band Rain Parade, but dropped out after the debut album to form the group Clay Allison with Kendra Smith (formerly Dream Syndicate), which later became Opal. Hope Sandoval came to his attention through a demo recording and joined the group, where she replaced Kendra Smith as vocalist during the final tour. Other members included Will Glenn (formerly of Rain Parade) and Keith Mitchell (formerly of Green on Red). After the group disbanded, Roback and Sandoval continued as a duo under the name Mazzy Star. Hope Sandoval wrote the lyrics, while David Roback did the composing. In addition, the band consisted of rotating backing musicians.

The first record, She Hangs Brightly, was released in 1990 and featured melancholic, guitar-tinged folk-pop, psychedelic tunes, and hints of Delta blues and hard rock. The lyrics were somber tales of unhealthy relationships, unrequited love, or impending partings, often cryptic. The second record, So Tonight That I Might See, continued in this vein, only the blues had all but disappeared and the rock content had mellowed. The last official record, Among My Swan, is Mazzy Star's most musically homogeneous work, with only a few harsh guitar parts and little psychedelia. It contained mostly romantic, spherical songs supported by catchy minor melodies. The last track Look On down from the Bridge is a swan song for the band Mazzy Star, which still exists but didn't release any albums for a long time.

As recently as 2009, Hope Sandoval shared in an interview that another Mazzy Star album was already completed. It took another four years until the album with the title Seasons of Your Day was released on September 24, 2013. For the first time, the band was able to place in the charts in many European countries with it.

Mazzy Star's most successful song is Fade into You, which appeared on the 1993 album So Tonight That I Might See and was released as a single with accompanying video.

Discography

Albums

• 1990: She Hangs Brightly (Rough Trade Records, reissued by Capitol Records)
• 1993: So Tonight That I Might See (Capitol)
• 1996: Among My Swan (Capitol)
• 2013: Seasons of Your Day (Rhymes of an Hour Records)
• 2015: Ghost Highway
• 2018: Still

Singles

• 1990: Blue Flower
• 1993: Five String Serenade
• 1994: Fade into You
• 1995: Halah
• 1996: Flowers in December
• 2009: Into Dust (download track)
• 2011: Common Burn/Lay Myself Down
• 2013: California
• 2014: I'm Less Here