She Hangs Brightly
| She Hangs Brightly | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||
| Studio album by Mazzy Star | ||||||||||
| Released | May 21, 1990 | |||||||||
| Genre | Alternative rock, dream pop, psychedelic rock, shoegazing | |||||||||
| Length | 40:28 | |||||||||
| Label | Rough Trade, Capitol | |||||||||
| Producer | David Roback | |||||||||
| Mazzy Star chronology | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Entertainment Weekly | A link |
| Rolling Stone | link |
She Hangs Brightly is the debut studio album by American dream pop band Mazzy Star. It was released in 1990 on Rough Trade Records, following the demise of David Roback's previous band Opal. The album was rereleased by Capitol later that same year. The first track "Halah" was released as a single and reached #19 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.[1] It showcases the band's trademark effect with haunting guitar work and lyrics, and Hope Sandoval's detached vocals. David Roback's Robby Krieger-inspired psychedelic blues slide guitar style can be heard on the song "Free". "Ghost Highway" is another psychedelic rock track, with a fast rhythm. This song dates from the band's days as Opal and was initially slated to be the title track of Opal's second album. While not a commercial success, this album did establish Mazzy Star as a unique band with a unique sound.
Reception
In a review for Rolling Stone, Gina Arnold gave She Hangs Brightly a star rating of four out of five and called it "coldly beautiful".[2] Allmusic's Jason Ankeny rated the album with three stars out of five. He described Hope Sandoval's vocals as "more sultry" than those of Opal's Kendra Smith. He praised "Halah" and "Blue Flower" but criticized the album's lack of focus, calling the remaining tunes "unmemorable".[3] Kurt Cobain listed it in his top fifty albums of all time.[4][5]
Notes
The album cover is a shot of the interior of Hôtel Tassel in Brussels.
"Ghost Highway" is part of the soundtrack for the 1994 film called "Love and a .45"
"Blue Flower" is a Slapp Happy cover from the 1972 album Sort Of.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Hope Sandoval and David Roback, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Halah" | 3:16 | |
| 2. | "Blue Flower" | Peter Blegvad, Anthony Moore[6] | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Ride It On" | 3:01 | |
| 4. | "She Hangs Brightly" | 6:24 | |
| 5. | "I'm Sailin'" | Minnie McCoy[7] | 3:13 |
| 6. | "Give You My Lovin'" | Sylvia Gomez[8] | 3:50 |
| 7. | "Be My Angel" | 3:17 | |
| 8. | "Taste Of Blood" | 5:36 | |
| 9. | "Ghost Highway" | David Roback[9] | 3:28 |
| 10. | "Free" | 3:11 | |
| 11. | "Before I Sleep" | 2:10 | |
Total length: |
40:28 | ||
Personnel
|
|
References
- ↑ "Mazzy Star chart history". Billboard (magazine). Retrieved 2013-08-22.
- ↑ Arnold, Gina (September 6, 1990), "Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly", Rolling Stone (Wenner Media LLC), archived from the original on December 27, 2007, retrieved September 13, 2010
- ↑ Ankeny, Jason, "She Hangs Brightly > Review", Allmusic (Rovi Corporation), retrieved September 13, 2010
- ↑ "Top 50 by Nirvana [MIXTAPE]". Retrieved 8 May 2013.
- ↑ Cross, Gaar, Gendron, Martens, Yarm (2013). Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-7603-4521-4.
- ↑ "ASCAP Repertoire Database for "Blue Flower"". ASCAP.com. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
- ↑ "I'm Sailin'". MazzyStar.nu. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
- ↑ "BMI Repertoire Database for "Give You My Lovin'"". BMI.com. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
- ↑ "BMI Repertoire Database for "Ghost Highway"". BMI.com. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
- 1 2 3 "She Hangs Brightly > Credits", Allmusic (Rovi Corporation), retrieved September 13, 2010
| ||||||||||||||||||