Mazzy Star

Mazzy Star was an American 1990s dream pop/alternative band. They formed in 1989, from the band Opal, a collaboration of guitarist David Roback and bassist Kendra Smith. Smith's friend Hope Sandoval became vocalist when Smith left the band.

Mazzy Star is probably best known for the song "Fade Into You" which brought the band some success in the mid-1990s and was dream pop's biggest mainstream hit. Roback and Sandoval were the creative center of the band, with Sandoval writing most of the lyrics and Roback composing most of the music.

Biography

The first Mazzy Star album, She Hangs Brightly was released in 1990. This album was, perhaps, more guitar-centric than later efforts. However, the characteristic echo-effect on the vocals, the limited instrumentation, and the stripped down sound, which would become their trademark, was already present on this album. The track "Be My Angel" appears to be the musical inspiration for "Fade Into You", and the rock roots of the band are evident on "Blue Flower". While not a commercial success, this album did establish Mazzy Star as a unique band with a unique sound.

Their second release, So Tonight That I Might See, represents a limited change in the sound from the first album; the tracks are a bit more processed and a little less gritty. "Fade into You" became a staple of mid-1990s teen dramas, movies, and represented the kind of gentle ennui that was missing from the more aggressive angst of grunge (it was later sampled by Richard X for his song "Into You" featuring Jarvis Cocker). Continuing with the general theme of quiet, contemplative songs, this album became a staple on college radio stations.

The third Mazzy Star album, Among My Swan, relied less on the echo effect that was nearly ubiquitous in all tracks on the previous two albums. Hope Sandoval's voice is paired with simple acoustic instrumentation that marks most of the tracks. The guitar and harmonica accompaniment on "I've Been Let Down" is a prime example of this. These tracks are not markedly different in sound or feel from the preceding two albums.

Although the band never officially broke up (it is dormant), Sandoval would go on to found the band Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions, and appear on recordings by Bert Jansch, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Chemical Brothers, Air and Death in Vegas.

Roback wrote songs that were performed by actress Maggie Cheung in the 2004 film Clean, about a former drug-addict who wants to become a singer.

Songs in film and TV

• The Mazzy Star song "Into Dust" appears in episodes of The O.C. (Episodes 1x01 "Pilot" and 1x07 "The Escape"), House and Charmed (Episode 4x06 "A Knight to Remember"), as well as the New Zealand-made film In My Father's Den (which also featured the track "Take Everything"). It also appeared in the most popular scene of the Angelina Jolie film "Foxfire" (based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel of the same title). It was also covered by Ashtar Command for the Music from the OC: Mix 6 compilation, for the fourth season of The O.C. and the episode 4x07 "The Christmukk-uh".
• "Fade into You" was featured in Alias (Episode 4x05 "Ice"), Gilmore Girls (Episode 1x09 "Rory's Dance"), Without a Trace, Angus and Lord of War, as well as appearing prominently (perhaps also incongruously) in the film Starship Troopers. A cover version of this track also appears in the movie Dreamland which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.
• "Flowers in December" was featured in the movie Wicker Park.
• "Rhymes of an Hour" was featured in the 1996 movie Stealing Beauty, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.
• "Flowers in December," "Look on Down from the Bridge," and "All Your Sisters" are used in the 2005 film, Down in the Valley.
• "Look on Down From the Bridge" closes "Meadowlands", an episode of The Sopranos.

Members

• Hope Sandoval - vocals, harmonica, lyrics
• David Roback - guitar
  • Roback also produced all of Mazzy Star's recordings.
• Jill Emery - bass
• Keith Mitchell - drums
• Suki Ewers - keyboards
• William Cooper, real name Will Glenn (1957-2001) - keyboards, violin
• Kurt Elzner - touring guitarist

Discography

Year	Title	Label
1990	She Hangs Brightly	Capitol
1993	So Tonight That I Might See	Capitol
1996	Among My Swan	Capitol

Singles

Year	Title	Chart positions				Album
		US Hot 100	US Modern Rock	US Mainstream Rock	UK Singles
1989	"Halah"	-	-	-	-	She Hangs Brightly
1990	"Blue Flower"	-	#29	-	-	She Hangs Brightly
1994	"Fade Into You"	#44	-	-	#48	So Tonight That I Might See
1995	"She's My Baby"	-	-	-	-	So Tonight That I Might See
1996	"Flowers In December"	-	-	-	#40	Among My Swan
1996	"I've Been Let Down"	-	-	-	-	Among My Swan

External links

• Mazzy Star on the All Music Guide