Album of the Week #1 - Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See
This is Album of the Week #1. This week's album is Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See
Year of Release: 1993
Genre(s): Dream Pop, Neo-Psychedelia
Country: United States
Length: 52 minutes
Album.Link
Excerpt from Pitchfork
The undertext of a decision to push a female frontperson further into the spotlight is that beauty (or, more cynically, sex) sells. But capitalizing on Sandoval’s image perhaps unintentionally trivialized her role in the band, making her seem like merely the Nico to Roback’s Lou Reed. (Nico, of course, spent a lifetime reclaiming her agency from the myth of the muse.) But So Tonight That I Might See is not about keeping one musician behind a curtain. The creative partnership between Roback and Sandoval is the heart of Mazzy Star. They knew that the band would wilt if pushed into the spotlight more than necessary. So they stuck to the shadows, two quiet, introspective souls deeply engaged in one dream. Together, they drifted into a hazy unknown.
Discussion points:
Have you heard this artist/album before? Is this your first time hearing?
Do you enjoy this genre? Is this an album you would have chosen?
Does this album remind you of something you've heard before?
What were the album's strengths or weaknesses?
Was there a standout track for you?
How did you hear the album? Where were you? What was your setup?
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I've never taken heroin but I have always thought that taking heroin is probably quite similar to the experience of listening to Mazzy Star. Especially so when played on good headphones, lying outside in the gentle almost-chill of a late summer's night, the stars wheeling slowly overhead.
I adore this album. I was given it on tape, recorded for me by one of my oldest and best friends, at a highly formative time in my life and I will never not love it. The opening and closing tracks are the strongest for me but it's all good.
Sadly I don't have the right workload to listen to this today (today is blacksmithing and really I can only listen to more bang-y music when dealing with hot and heavy metal) but I'm putting it on this week's playlist because it's been too long since I've played it.
I remember driving to Arizona in 1994, in the passenger seat of my friend’s Honda Civic. I rolled the window all the way down while she blasted this album. I watched the sky fade from sunset to glorious night as we sped across the desert. Perfect memory. And if you’re ever traveling the American West, this is one of the ideal albums for it.
First off: i was incredibly confused that not only had Mazzy Star released a new album but that it was currently #1 on the charts. Thank god I read the description.
Second, this album is, as the kids say, a vibe. I recently relistened to a few albums sort of in this genre for the early 90s and man, there was a real exploration in the near-mainstream of this ethereal, technical sound and I would love some recommendations of more current artists with this feeling.
Wolf Alice have a little bit of Mazzy Star going for them, I would say. Especially their latest album, Blue Weekend. Also something is telling me I should suggest Alvvays's album Blue Rev but it doesn't really sound all that Mazzy Star, it feels a bit right. Molly Rankin has always reminded me a little of Hope Sandoval and I'm not entirely sure why.
Speaking of "current" artists, turns out Slowdive have a new album out! Like, two weeks ago kind of new. I haven't heard it yet but they were always pretty dreamy/psychy back in the 90s.
You may like Cigarettes After Sex. They're ambient pop/shoegaze. Very ethereal. I thought they did a good job covering REO Speedwagon's Keep on Lovin' You, I appreciate when artists adapt a cover and make it their own.
They just released a single in July and are currently on tour. They don't release much, but they're active.
First of all, very far from the genre I usually listen to. Just listened to this while working from home. My initial reaction is that it was sort of boring. Could be played in the background at lower volumes at a party perhaps. Or sounds like what could be playing live in a low lighted cafe in a film noir movie. Very 90s feel even though it reminds me of The Doors. Favorite song was "Mary of Silence"
I threw this album on while building a tower with my young sons and I immediately recognized the first track. It gets some play on the radio station I listen to the most (wyep 91.3 pittsburgh) I very much think it is a direct precursor to artists like Courtney Barnett and Kurt vile. The album is kinda hard to imagine it being from 1993 it sounds very modern for its time. I think there are a lot of musicians doing this sound of music now. Kinda gives me a velvet underground sound, which goes along with what people were saying earlier about it having the sound of " heroin." This is the first I've ever sat down and listened a Mazzy album and I'm not disappointed. May even add a few songs to my spotify Playlist https://spotify.link/UJQWOeuFcDb
Finally got around to listening! I’d never heard of the band, but when I played the album they felt so familiar - I don’t think I’ve actually heard them before, they just so perfectly capture a certain 90s vibe!
I listened to the whole album while walking on a lovely blue-sky spring day, which was the perfect setting for their laid back summery sound. Then I listened to another album of theirs (Among My Swan). I think this is a band I’ll listen to again :)
This isn't my first time hearing this album, but it's been a few years and I had forgotten how much I liked it. I love the guitar and her voice. Dream pop and shoegaze can really be the right vibe for me a lot of the time.
They clearly have a lot of influence from the drugged out kind of psychedelic precursors to this kind of music, and there's some of that moodiness in this album too. But every now and again the guitar breaks through in this happier tone and it just gets me good.
I'm very much a headphones listener turned up as much as I can - I was born hard of hearing and some years playing in a (rather noisy) band of my own didn't help with the hearing issues, but I still get a lot of the nuance on an album like this one. I think I'd have a lot harder time if I were listening to it out loud.
Edit: Standout tracks for me are Fade Into Me and Blue Light - I love the organ on Blue Light in particular
It's been way way more than a few years since I last listened to this album; It's probably been close to two decades since I last listened to it. :P Also like you, that isn't the fault of the album though, and I had simply forgotten about it. I do have a bunch of Mazzy Star tracks scattered around various playlists, but hadn't listened to any of their albums in full in ages. So this topic was a wonderful reintroduction of this album to me, and nice reminder of how much I actually enjoy their music. Thanks for posting this topic, @TooFewColours. And I look forward to seeing what the next album ends up being too. :)
This and Portishead Third are tied as my favorite albums to just chill out with.