She Hangs Brightly

Last updated

She Hangs Brightly
Shehangsbrightly.jpg
Studio album by
Mazzy Star
ReleasedMay 21, 1990 (1990-05-21)
Genre
Length40:28
Label Rough Trade
Producer David Roback
Mazzy Star chronology
She Hangs Brightly
(1990)		 So Tonight That I Might See
(1993)
Song sample
20 seconds of "Halah"

She Hangs Brightly is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star. It was released on May 21, 1990, by Rough Trade Records and re-released by Capitol Records later in the year.

Contents

"Blue Flower" was released as a single and reached number 29 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. Four years later, "Halah" reached number 19 on the same chart after the success of "Fade into You". [4]

The album cover is a shot of the interior of Hôtel Tassel in Brussels.

Composition

It showcases the band's trademark effect with haunting guitar work and lyrics, and Hope Sandoval's detached vocals. David Roback's Robby Krieger-inspired psychedelic blues slide guitar style can be heard on the song "Free". "Ghost Highway" is another psychedelic rock track, with a fast rhythm. This song dates from the band's days as Opal and was initially slated to be the title track of Opal's second album. While not a commercial success, this album did establish Mazzy Star as a unique band with a unique sound.

"Blue Flower" is a Slapp Happy cover from the 1972 album Sort Of .

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Chicago Sun-Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [7]
Entertainment Weekly A [8]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [9]
NME 6/10 [10]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Select 5/5 [13]
Uncut 10/10 [14]

In a review for Rolling Stone , Gina Arnold praised She Hangs Brightly as being "coldly beautiful". [12] AllMusic's Jason Ankeny described Hope Sandoval's vocals as "more sultry" than those of Opal's Kendra Smith and praised "Halah" and "Blue Flower" but criticized the album's lack of focus, calling the remaining tunes "unmemorable". [5]

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana listed She Hangs Brightly in his top fifty albums of all time. [15] [16] In 2018, Pitchfork ranked the album at number 29 on its list of the 30 best dream pop albums. [1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Hope Sandoval and David Roback, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Halah" 3:16
2."Blue Flower"
3:35
3."Ride It On" 3:01
4."She Hangs Brightly" 6:24
5."I'm Sailin'" Minnie McCoy [18] 3:13
6."Give You My Lovin'"Sylvia Gomez [19] 3:50
7."Be My Angel" 3:17
8."Taste of Blood" 5:36
9."Ghost Highway"Roback [20] 3:28
10."Free" 3:11
11."Before I Sleep" 2:10
Total length:40:28

Personnel

Credits for She Hangs Brightly adapted from album liner notes. [21]

Related Research Articles

Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owing a particular debt to 1960s groups such as Love and the Byrds, but more generally referencing a wide range of pop and garage rock revival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mazzy Star</span> American alternative rock band from California, USA

Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hope Sandoval</span> American singer (born 1966)

Hope Sandoval is an American singer-songwriter who is the lead singer of Mazzy Star and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions. Sandoval has toured and collaborated with other artists, including Massive Attack, for whom she sang "Paradise Circus" on the 2010 album Heligoland and the 2016 single "The Spoils".

<i>So Tonight That I Might See</i> 1993 studio album by Mazzy Star

So Tonight That I Might See is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star, released on October 5, 1993.

<i>Among My Swan</i> 1996 studio album by Mazzy Star

Among My Swan is the third studio album by American band Mazzy Star, released on October 29, 1996. Although Among My Swan did not contain any US Billboard Hot 100 hits like its predecessor, So Tonight That I Might See, this album garnered the band its highest-ranking single on the UK Singles Chart, when "Flowers in December" reached No. 40 in November 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rain Parade</span> American band

The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012.

Halah, as an Arabic name is female. It is also a Hebrew name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fade into You</span> 1994 single by Mazzy Star

"Fade into You" is a song by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star from their second studio album, So Tonight That I Might See (1993). The song was written by lyricist Hope Sandoval and composer David Roback, who also served as producer. The song reached number three on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1994 and is Mazzy Star's only single to appear on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 44. The song also charted at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart and number three in Iceland.

Kevin Kerslake is an American filmmaker and photographer. He has directed documentaries on Joan Jett, DJ AM, The Ramones, Nirvana, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Soundgarden, Insomniac, among others. Television work includes scripted series on Fox, ABC Family (Fallen), and Vevo, plus segments on the Academy Awards (Mominees), Billboard Music Awards, and Breakthrough Prizes in Fundamental Physics & Life Sciences.

David Edward Roback was an American guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as a founding member of the alternative rock band Mazzy Star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opal (band)</span> American rock band

Opal was an American rock band in the 1980s. They were part of the Paisley Underground musical style. The band's name is derived from "Opel", a song by Syd Barrett.

<i>Happy Nightmare Baby</i> 1987 studio album by Opal

Happy Nightmare Baby is the debut album by the American band Opal, released in 1987 by SST Records in America and Rough Trade Records in England. It was the only album released by the band while together, singer Kendra Smith leaving during the tour to promote it, to be replaced by Hope Sandoval, the band evolving into Mazzy Star.

Kendra Smith is an American musician who was a founding member of The Dream Syndicate, a member of Opal, and later recorded as a solo artist.

The discography of American alternative rock band Mazzy Star consists of four studio albums, two EPs, twelve singles and eight music videos. The band was formed in 1989 by vocalist Hope Sandoval and guitarist David Roback, after the disbandment of Roback's previous band with vocalist Kendra Smith, Opal. Mazzy Star's debut studio album, She Hangs Brightly, was released by Rough Trade Records in 1990, and eventually spawned two singles: "Blue Flower" in 1990 and "Halah" in 1995.

<i>At the Doorway Again</i> 2000 EP by Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions

At the Doorway Again is the debut EP by Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions, released exclusively in the UK and Ireland by Rough Trade Records on October 11, 2000. The EP was issued in other territories as an import-only release, and was re-released digitally by Nettwerk from 2012.

<i>Seasons of Your Day</i> 2013 studio album by Mazzy Star

Seasons of Your Day is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star. It was released on September 23, 2013 by the band's own independent record label, Rhymes of An Hour. Their first record since the release of their third album Among My Swan in 1996, and the subsequent dissolution of their contract with Capitol Records the following year, they continued recording in 1997 while without a record deal and worked sporadically until the completion of the album in September 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Spoils (song)</span> 2016 single by Massive Attack

"The Spoils" is a single by British group Massive Attack, released on 29 July 2016. The title song features Mazzy Star singer-songwriter Hope Sandoval, in what is her third collaboration with the band, after "Paradise Circus" from the album Heligoland (2010), and the non-album single "Four Walls" (2011). The b-side, "Come Near Me," features British musician Ghostpoet.

<i>Until the Hunter</i> 2016 studio album by Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions

Until the Hunter is the third studio album from Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions. It was released on 4 November 2016 and is their first album since 2009's Through the Devil Softly. It is Hope Sandoval and Colm Ó Cíosóig's first collaboration since the release of Mazzy Star's Seasons of Your Day and My Bloody Valentine's m b v in 2013.

<i>Still</i> (Mazzy Star EP) 2018 EP by Mazzy Star

Still is an EP by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star, released on June 1, 2018 by the group's own independent record label, Rhymes of An Hour. It was their first release since the 2013 studio album Seasons of Your Day, and was issued in dedication to founding drummer Keith Mitchell, and stage manager Tom Cashen, both of whom died in 2017. The EP contains a mixture of both new and old material, and received generally positive reviews upon release. The band promoted the release with several concerts at the Sydney Opera House. "Quiet, the Winter Harbor" was released as its only single. The EP was the final Mazzy Star release issued before co-founder David Roback died on February 24, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flowers in December</span> 1996 single by Mazzy Star

"Flowers in December" is a song by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star, released in October 1996 as the lead single from their third studio album Among My Swan. It was written by Hope Sandoval and David Roback, and produced by Roback. "Flowers in December" reached No. 40 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for two weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single, directed by Kevin Kerslake.

References

  1. 1 2 "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums". Pitchfork . April 16, 2018. p. 1. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  2. ↑ Terich, Jeff (April 5, 2012). "10 Essential Dream Pop Albums". Treble. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  3. ↑ Shipley, Al (June 12, 2020). "30 Great Albums From 1990 That Deserve Their Own 30th Anniversary Pieces". Spin . p. 2. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Mazzy Star Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Ankeny, Jason. "She Hangs Brightly – Mazzy Star". AllMusic . Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  6. ↑ McLeese, Don (July 20, 1990). "California's Mazzy Star shines brightly". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  7. ↑ Kot, Greg (June 14, 1990). "Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly (Rough Trade)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  8. ↑ Sandow, Greg (May 25, 1990). "She Hangs Brightly". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  9. ↑ Cromelin, Richard (June 9, 1990). "Mazzy Star Debut a Fine Fix of Velvet Blues". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ Pouncey, Edwin (May 26, 1990). "Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly / Viv Akauldren: Vivian's Fountain". NME . p. 33.
  11. ↑ "Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly". Q . Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Arnold, Gina (September 6, 1990). "Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on December 27, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  13. ↑ Cavanagh, David (July 1990). "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Select . No. 1. p. 104.
  14. ↑ Bonner, Michael (October 2013). "The Prettiest Star...". Uncut . No. 197. p. 26.
  15. ↑ "Top 50 by Nirvana [MIXTAPE]". Joyful Noise Recordings. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  16. ↑ Cross, Charles R.; Gaar, Gillian G.; Gendron, Bob; Martens, Todd; Yarm, Mark (2013). Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. p. 169. ISBN   978-0-7603-4521-4.
  17. ↑ "ASCAP Repertoire Database for "Blue Flower"". ASCAP.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  18. ↑ "I'm Sailin'". MazzyStar.nu. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  19. ↑ "BMI Repertoire Database for "Give You My Lovin'"". BMI.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  20. ↑ "BMI Repertoire Database for "Ghost Highway"". BMI.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  21. ↑ She Hangs Brightly (liner notes). Mazzy Star. Rough Trade Records. 1990. ROUGH US77-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.