Sandoval and her collaborators may never modify the melancholy torch that they bear, but they keep that fire masterfully for those of us who still have a yen for patient, no-frills sounds that happen to serve as a miracle balm.
There’s nothing particularly new here, nothing cutting edge, but there is beautiful, considered, genuine songwriting, and to greet such art with any kind of disdain would be nothing short of a travesty.
The passing of time has barely altered core members Hope Sandoval and David Roback’s floaty, melancholic mood.
A lot can happen in 17 years, but one thing that doesn’t appear to have changed is Mazzy Star’s ability to produce beautiful, mesmerising tunes; there is less psychedelic fuzz than earlier efforts but the results are just as stunning.
If there's progression, it lies in the record's sparsity – percussion and bass are a minimal presence throughout. The songs, however, still seep into the bloodstream.
In essence, the album is everything you could want, finding Mazzy Star older and wiser, but still as dreamy as ever.
Mazzy Star steadfastly stick to their dusty, psych-folk, dream-pop tableaux on Seasons of Your Day. Yet it feels nothing like a '90s hangover; in fact, the touches of organ and pedal steel that open the album hint at Beach House's hazy indie-pop
If Mazzy Star have done amazingly well bringing back their initial sound and spirit, they also haven’t done anything to transcend its limitations. As gorgeous as the music can be, it still tends to work best in the background, a mood or vibe to give a dim room a nice tint.
Sure, Mazzy Star’s M.O. is a barely present, ghostly ambiance, better sometimes in the background, but after nearly 20 years, a return demands more than essentially being the musical equivalent of late-night Sportscenter, something best enjoyed while drifting in and out of sleep.
Despite Mazzy Star sounding as good as they always have, Seasons Of Your Day only goes to show that the rest of the world has finally caught up with them.
It’s about as confounding as it is disappointing, really: despite seeming to be on hiatus, David Roback claims the band “never stopped writing or recording” after 1996′s Among My Swan — which should prompt any fan to wonder how it took 17 years to generate such a sludgy, tired set as this.
A pretty sweet comeback record for Hope and the gang, doesn’t have their most notable collection of tracks, but the cleaner production and slightly more accessible sound makes for a really therapeutic listen. They don’t miss.
Standout: Flying Low
Favs: Lay Myself down, California, Spoon, In the Kingdom, Common Burn
Least fav: I’ve gotta stop
This album brings back a lot of feelings the original trio of albums brought me but I do also think there is some fluff stuffed into this album. This album leans more into folk then country to give off a more rusty and raw feel the album that mixes so beautifully with nostalgia. While this album isn't perfect I think there are a lot of great songs added to their catalog here like Common Burn and In the Kingdom. It's very hit or miss between being good or decent but I think it's a pretty even ... read more
A love daughter from Lana Del Rey & Angel Olsen, however didn't inherit the highly exciting aspects of either of emʼ
It's good but not my favourite. It's not groundbreaking, but it's certainly not forgettable either.
A love daughter from Lana Del Rey & Angel Olsen, however didn't inherit the highly exciting aspects of either of emʼ
This album brings back a lot of feelings the original trio of albums brought me but I do also think there is some fluff stuffed into this album. This album leans more into folk then country to give off a more rusty and raw feel the album that mixes so beautifully with nostalgia. While this album isn't perfect I think there are a lot of great songs added to their catalog here like Common Burn and In the Kingdom. It's very hit or miss between being good or decent but I think it's a pretty even ... read more
1 | In the Kingdom 5:14 | 81 |
2 | California 5:23 | 80 |
3 | I’ve Gotta Stop 4:04 | 72 |
4 | Does Someone Have Your Baby Now? 4:08 | 70 |
5 | Common Burn 5:09 | 73 |
6 | Seasons of Your Day 3:41 | 73 |
7 | Lay Myself Down 4:31 | 72 |
8 | Sparrow 4:04 | 67 |
9 | Spoon 6:09 | 67 |
10 | Flying Low 7:36 | 71 |
#9 | / | The Fly |
#20 | / | Rough Trade |
#27 | / | Crack Magazine |
#49 | / | Uncut |
#50 | / | Q Magazine |