Mazzy Star - Magic or Mountebank?

They sound a little like the VU and Nico would have if they'd all been constantly on smack.

One of those bands I can entirely imagine attracting scorn and difficult-to-rebuff vitriol (cf. Stereolab) but whom I love to this day (unlike the 'lab, without even the need to play the records).

Youn - seeing as I'm in an LP->CD-R mode and you did me those lovely tapes last year, would you like a copy of Early Recordings?

I kind of knew STTIMS was their best-selling, but I didn't think the idea of having one of the other two was that ridiculous. I had She Hangs Brightly first so that one always comes to mind. I never bought the third one - is it good?

So why was STTIMS such a hit? It's very similar to the first album, really. Was 'Fade Into You' featured in a film or something? Did it get daytime airplay?

And Hope Sandoval has got the most beautiful name in musical history.

OTM, I couldn't get into that Richard X feat. Jarvis Cocker "Into You" which samples it because it's so played out.

wasted is a great great song.

i only have 'so tonight that i might see'. great record to complement a certain mood. 'mary of silence' is really really nice

The first one's the bestest. The first record, I mean, it's called, uh, She Hangs Brightly. Great record. The other two ain't bad either.

i'm enjoying this kind of music lately, so i should get my hands on that first one.

also download opal's early recordings

cool, i'll look out for that one
hope doesn't appear in opal, right?

she did at the very end but not on any of their studio recordings

my roommate just told me her and colm from mbv have finished a new album?

she tends to contribute her voice to a lot of stuff, and i never seem to hear about it. wasn't aware of this latest collab

WARNING: re-listening to these Mazzy Star albums now will give you goggles that will make Beach House and Marissa Nadler look like ridiculous posers

I like Beach House and Marissa Nadler, I'm just sayin'...

been listening to 'she hangs brightly' quite a lot recently. it's quite upbeat, channeling much brighter soundscapes than its brooding, sombre follow-up. keen to listen to 'among my swan' now.

SHB>>>STTIMS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>AMS

I concur. Not that there's anything particularly bad about Swan, I just didn't have much use for another iteration of the same sorta thing.

That's what I thought when it was released but I feel that it does lack something, variety maybe? It just felt formulaic, whereas the 1st one was completely natural and effortless

the first one's really nice, but effortless in the sense that it doesn't really dwell on any one particular mood. just sort of skirts around a whole bunch of different shades in a fleeting sort of way. the second one zones in on slow, ethereal textures at times and really nails it.

Among My Swan vs. Standing on the Shoulder of Giants

btw, I luuuurve SHB, really really like STTIMS, & am pretty lukewarm on most of AMS w. the exception of a few really beautiful trax.