Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly [CAPITOL / HIP-O]

Why you'll love it

She Hangs Brightly is where Hope Sandoval's hypnotic whisper first met David Roback's psychedelic slide guitar, and it's a dream-pop blueprint. "Blue Flower" and "Halah" both reached the alternative chart.

This edition

• Capitol / Hip-O pressing

About the album

David Roback had been part of LA's Paisley Underground scene with Rain Parade and Opal when he started working with a young singer named Hope Sandoval. Their first album as Mazzy Star is the template for everything that followed: slow, smoky, reverb-soaked songs that drift between dream pop, blues and Velvet Underground-style psychedelia.

Sandoval sings like she's half asleep and completely in control, and Roback's guitar slides and shimmers around her. "Halah" is aching and lovely, "Blue Flower" (a Slapp Happy cover) jangles, "Ghost Highway" picks up the pace, and the title track is pure late-night hypnosis. Put it on when the lights are low.

Also at Kops: more Mazzy Star on vinyl · browse Alternative

Tracklist

Listen

On Capitol / Hip-O, a reissue of the 1990 album.