Six Definitive Songs: The ultimate beginner’s guide to Mazzy Star
The history of ethereal rockers Mazzy Star dates back to the Californian Paisley Underground scene of the 1980s, of which guitarist David Roback was an active member. He founded the band Rain Parade before moving on to Clay Allison, later renamed Opal, which he formed with then-girlfriend and ex-Dream Syndicate bassist Kendra Smith.
While the short-lived Rain Parade were touring in the early 1980s, high schoolers Hope Sandoval and Sylvia Gomez, die-hard fans of the band, managed to give Roback a demo tape of their music, written under the name Going Home. The guitarist agreed to produce an album for the duo, yet this never came to fruition.
Instead, Sandoval was recruited as the vocalist for Opal when Smith suddenly left the band in the middle of a tour with The Jesus and Mary Chain. Still obligated to create another album under a contract with Rough Trade, Opal, now consisting of Roback and Sandoval, made music together for two years before deciding to change their name to Mazzy Star.
The band’s first album, She Hangs Brightly, released in 1990, contains several tracks written before the inception of Mazzy Star, such as ‘Ghost Highway’, which was destined for Opal’s second album, and ‘Give You My Lovin”, which was penned by Gomez in the mid-1980s. Over the 1990s, Mazzy Star became one of the most subtly influential bands of their generation. Although they never had substantial commercial hits, Mazzy Star’s influence can be heard today in the music of Lana Del Rey and Beach House.
The band released their first album in 17 years with Seasons of Your Day in 2013. Sadly, Roback passed away in 2020; however, his legacy lives on in the beautifully distinctive sounds of Mazzy Star. Here are six songs that define Mazzy Star’s sound…
The six definitive songs of Mazzy Star:
‘Halah’ (1990)
Opening up She Hangs Brightly is ‘Halah’, a simple track led by Roback’s acoustic guitar that bleeds with bittersweetness. Sandoval sings of a failed relationship that she isn’t ready to move on from. She begs, “I need to hear you say goodbye/ Baby, won’t you change your mind?”
The track could also be read as Sandoval addressing someone who has died before she could say goodbye to them. With reference to “another side”, “another light”, and “through the door”, it doesn’t seem out of the question that Sandoval is lamenting someone she has lost to suicide. Despite the lyrical ambiguity and simplicity of the instrumentation, ‘Halah’ is still a highly emotive track, which makes it such an essential listen.
‘Ghost Highway’ (1990)
Another track from She Hangs Brightly, ‘Ghost Highway’ demonstrates Mazzy Star’s ability to perform grittier, faster numbers. Sandoval’s voice echoes with refrains of “And I’ll love you forever/ Forever and ever/ And ever and ever” as Roback’s gravelly guitar cuts through the instrumentation in one of the heaviest moments of the band’s discography.
Initially written for Opal’s second album, it makes sense that the track is unusually high energy compared to the rest of She Hangs Brightly. Regardless, the song doesn’t feel out of place in the slightest. Instead, Sandoval’s mesmeric vocals anchor the song to the album with haunting immediacy, creating an intoxicating listen.
‘Fade Into You’ (1993)
Mazzy Star released their sophomore album So Tonight That I Might See, in 1993, yet it took a year for the opening track ‘Fade Into You’ to become an unexpected hit. As Sandoval yearns for deep connection despite an unrequited love, Roback’s slide guitar pangs with nostalgia and warmth.
The beautiful track only took Mazzy Star one day to write. Roback shared, “It came almost at the same time. We weren’t trying to write a hit song – we were just writing a song. I think we had a melody and a feel and we just followed that feel. And that became the song… It was acoustic guitar and both of us singing, and after we’d written the song, then we arranged it for other instruments – piano and slide guitar, and drums.”
‘Mary of Silence’ (1993)
Taken from So Tonight That I Might See, ‘Mary of Silence’ exudes a mysterious gothic sensibility that is simply addictive. Roback’s guitar creates a dark and brooding atmosphere as cymbals crash in the background.
Sandoval’s voice has a spectral quality as she repeats the lines “Oh where/ Oh where/ Oh where, sweet Mary of silence.” The track is ominous but not unnerving – instead, it invites listeners to linger in the uncertainty and slow tempo, which unravels with sensual psychedelic guitars.
‘Flowers in December’ (1996)
On Among My Swan, Mazzy Star retained the same sound that was present in the previous two albums; however, the instrumentation feels much more stripped back, often employing gentle harmonica sounds. The band take the instrument most commonly associated with country music and create a nostalgic tear-jerking piece through accompanying violins and percussion on ‘Flowers in December’.
The track was the band’s highest-charting UK Single, reaching number 40 and remaining in the Top 100 for two weeks. The gorgeous piece stands out on Among My Swan due to its tender melody; however, other album highlights include ‘Rose Blood’ and ‘Look On Down From the Bridge’.
‘Common Burn’ (2013)
After 17 years, Mazzy Star returned with their first album since 1996’s Among My Swan. Seasons of Your Day proved that after almost two decades, the band were still more than capable of making songs akin to those they produced in the 1990s. ‘Common Burn’ was initially released in 2011 as a double A-side with ‘Lay Myself Down’, which also appeared on Seasons of Your Day.
‘Common Burn’ is a profoundly melancholic tale of a lover that has caused pain, or “a common burn.” Sandoval urges the subject not to feign ignorance to the pain they have inflicted, singing, “Just don’t come home and say/You’ve been asleep/ When you know you’re burning/ Someone.” Roback’s guitar is incredibly moving, and the track has a delicacy that is disrupted by Sandoval’s lyrics.
