A review of So Tonight I Might See
After touring together, Roback and Sandoval both agreed that they were unhappy with the material and had to start something new. They founded Mazzy Star in 1990.
Artist: Mazzy Star
Review by Johann Badenhorst
Sometimes, in music, the breaking up of a band doesn’t always lead to the end of the road, but can provide a pathway to new beginnings, and that’s what happened with Mazzy Star.
In the late 1980s, a small indie band named Opal broke up after small disagreements snowballed, which led to singer Kendra Smith leaving the band and moving to another state.
Stricken guitarist David Roback was left without a band, but he was still obligated by the record company to produce one more album. He called up Hope Sandoval to perform vocal duties for the final album.
After touring together, Roback and Sandoval both agreed that they were unhappy with the material and had to start something new. They founded Mazzy Star in 1990.
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The duo seemingly had the same vision and composed material prolifically.
Their 1993 album, So Tonight I might See, featured their hit song Fade Into You a slow, psychedelic rock ballet that quickly climbed the charts.
This album was a breath of fresh air for the ’90s underground scene, which was becoming saturated with angst grunge, punk and rehashed heavy metal.
Sandoval’s beautiful voice is almost out of this world and seems to float above the music. She has a hypnotising effect on the listener, the only other singer I can compare her to is Jim Morrison from the Doors.
Roback is one of the most versatile guitar players of the 1990s, he was able to layer acoustic strumming guitars with slide guitar and dreamy chord progressions, while making clever use of sustain and reverb to create an unmistakable soundscape.
Bells Ring comes storming in with a barrage of distorted guitar, with Sandoval’s voice floating above the chaos.
On Mary of Silence the band fully embrace its Doors influence with Sandoval’s haunting voice with added reverb and echo, creating an apocalyptic atmosphere, with Roback playing distorted, frenzied guitar straight out of the playbook of Jimi Hendrix.
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Five-String Serenade and Into Dust are mostly acoustic and temporarily abandon the extra layers of psychedelia.
The titular and final track feels like an uncanny voyage into land where the Doors and the Velvet Underground came together to make one last unnerving song, with Sandoval’s ghost-like voice whispering in your ear between the loud and sometimes very dissonant and unnerving sounding guitars.
So Tonight I Might See is not for everyone, but its versatility and excellent execution of the ’70s influence makes it one the most impressive records of the ’90s, and shows that Sandoval has one of the best voices in music history.
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