She Hangs Brightly was the debut album from Mazzy Star, aka guitarist Dave Roback and vocalist Hope Sandoval. Previously, with singer Kendra Smith, they were Opal, but she was replaced, and the (ugh, I hate this word) jailbait prettiness and sleepy drawl of Sandoval proved more marketable, it seems.
Released in 1990, essentially the duo pre-dated Lana Del Rey when she was still plain old Lizzie Grant, with their dreamy blend of psychedelic angst and wide-screen sad girl country. Nobody can murmur, “I was… wrong”, or, “Baby won’t you change your mind?” as dolefully as Sandoval. She’s still recording today, notably with The Warm Inventions.
They’d emerged as part of the American Paisley Underground scene in the 80s, alongside bands like The Long Ryders and The Dream Syndicate, a retro movement more akin to the acid era psychedelia of The Byrds and Jimi Hendrix than punk rock. So they were kind of anathema to the “loud-quiet” sonics of their peers such as Husker Du, Fugazi and Minor Threat. Upcoming female bands like Lois, Lungleg and Bikini Kill had more in common with The Slits and The Raincoats, so whatever way you slice it, Mazzy Star were the exception, and not the rule. This explains their strange outsider appeal. There was also a teeny -tiny soupcon of goth in their noirish Americana. You can hear a little Siouxsie, some Nico and Velvet Underground, and Lydia Lunch.
Sometimes, Sandoval had an artful ennui in her voice (‘Blue Flower’, ‘Ghost Highway’) other times it was sheer vulnerability (‘Halah’, ‘I’m Sailin’, ‘Ride It On’) but the weeping and wild squealing of Roback’s guitar kept it from being too twee or mawkish.
Sadly, Roback died on February 24th, 2020, but his and Sandoval’s influence is eternal: it can still be found in the recent likes of LA Witch and Death Valley Girls, not just Ms Del Rey. As far as debut albums, or break+up albums, go, this one is still one of the best. It worked for me after my first big relationship, but it makes me smile today, because it still sounds beautiful. I’m bored of the overplayed ‘Fade Into You’ (from later in their career) though. Enough, already.
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