Album Club 24/01/2012: Mazzy Star – So tonight that I might see (1993)
http://open.spotify.com/album/5K18gTgac0q6Jma5HkV1vA
I thought for a good while choosing what to put on the album Club. I suppose some would choose a classic album that many will have heard already, and others might go for something a bit more obscure, perhaps in the hope of spreading the word about one of their favourite artists. I hope that I have found a middle ground and something not too niche, and an artist many of you will have heard before.
One of the reasons I chose this album is because for a long time it was the soundtrack to my life, and it holds fond memories for me. Another reason is that I think it has a magical, haunting quality to it that is neither too twee nor too mainstream. Anyway, I have waffled enough; here is some history about the album copied without apology from elsewhere...
“Hope Sandoval was born June 24, 1966 and grew up in east L.A. with her Mexican-American family. She started her career together with her friend Sylvia Gomez in a band called "Going Home", a folk duo formed in 1986.
Hope had admired Kendra Smith as a teen-age Dream Syndicate fan. Sylvia Gomez handed Kendra Smith a demo tape which was comprised of Hope Sandoval on vocals and Sylvia on guitar. David Roback offered to produce some recordings for them and they went into the studio and recorded an album that to this day is yet to be released.
Hope and Sylvia played gigs in California throughout the mid '80s, and stayed friends with both Kendra and David. During the Opal tour in December '87, Kendra left the band and disappeared. David called Hope to see if she would be interested to take Kendra's place in Opal. They found Kendra and had some discussions. They did two more shows together but then she flew home. Keith Mitchell flew home and the next day he flew back with Hope. After that tour Opal became Mazzy Star.
To date, Mazzy Star has released 3 albums: She Hangs Brightly (1990), So Tonight That I Might See (1993), and Among My Swan (1996). Two new songs will be released October 31, 2011: "Common Burn" and "Lay Myself Down".
Hope writes almost all the lyrics for Mazzy Star. Hope is a very shy and private person. "For me recording is better," says Sandoval. "Live, I just get really nervous. Once you're onstage, you're expected to perform. I don't do that. I always feel awkward about just standing there and not speaking to the audience. It's difficult for me."
In 2001, Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions released Bavarian Fruit Bread and toured the US and Europe in the fall of 2002. Two EPs were also released: At The Doorway Again and Suzanne.
In addition to Mazzy Star and The Warm Inventions, Hope has collaborated with a variety of artists including The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Chemical Brothers, Death In Vegas, Bert Jansch, Richard X, Air, Vetiver, and Le Volume Courbe. In 2008, Hope had a song, "Wild Roses", on a compilation CD from Air France titled In The Air.”
I hope you enjoy my choice, please feel free to recommend other artists you think I might like to sample.
Steve.
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