Favorite Album/Favorite Song

[Spoon]

Do you have a favorite Mazzy Star record or song? One that stands out above the others for you? This thread is for sharing just that.


I'll start it off:

Favorite record - Seasons of Your Day.

This changes all the time and is very difficult to pick but I've been feeling their newest offering lately.


Favorite song - She Hangs Brightly.

Also very tough to pick just a single song but this one is such a brilliant, psychedelic masterpiece.

[Spoon]

Well let's hear some replies!

[melancholy_madness]

Love this live recording of "Let That Be"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XInFHPYdXA

Seemingly innocent and routine but the dark, sinister undertones from all other Mazzy Star songs (bar maybe a few) are still there. And that line "I don't care if you live in misery".. holy shit.. Mazzy Star are truly more 'punk'/'grunge' than most punk and grunge bands out there without even trying. Also has that perfect touch of that kind of 'shoe-gazing' disassociation.

Would love it if they did a proper studio recording!

p.s. Cheers to Hermescat for the upload I'm sure I've contributed to a large portion of the views on that video! hah

[alas]

My favorite album is Through the Devil Softly - I like the maturity of the record.

My all-time favorite song was Fade into You, but now it's Trouble. I just like the way the song swirls when she sings "Is the trouble with me-eee" for the last time, then the "uh-ha-ha" comes in. It presses against my chest - a thumb print if you will. It gets me every time. I also like how her voice lilts upward when she sings "barbarity" on Sets the Blaze.

Today was a cloudy day though - and for some reason - I enjoy listening to Clear Day on those days. (Then Bavarian Fruit Bread, then All Your Sisters, then Trouble, then California -- each has an airy quality that's perfect for quiet, foggy mid-mornings.)

[Spoon]

Today was a cloudy day though - and for some reason - I enjoy listening to Clear Day on those days. (Then Bavarian Fruit Bread, then All Your Sisters, then Trouble, then California -- each has an airy quality that's perfect for quiet, foggy mid-mornings.)

I appreciate what you are saying here - that is a good observation regarding the quality those songs share. And thank you for reminding me of Bavarian Fruit Bread, a wonderful song that certainly deserves a mention when speaking of her very best work. I love putting it on the stereo, turning the volume up and closing my eyes...takes me away to another place.

[MikeRMD]

Hi all,

I haven't posted here in a long time although i've occasionally peeked in here. My disinterest such as it is was because of my less than pleasant reaction to 'Seasons of Your Day'. Other than the 2 songs that we had heard live from the 2000 tour (i prefer the live versions to the studio ones) i don't like anything other than 'Common Burn'. Considering that i like or love everything the band had done before to varying degrees my antipathy was a big surprise to me. I also like the fact that the band had played every song from their albums live at some point as well (i think although perhaps not 'Roseblood' ?) and there had never been a MS song that made me reach for the off button. 'I've Gotta Stop' ended that streak!

My favorite MS album wavers between the 2nd & 3rd and my favorite song is 'Rhymes of an Hour'. TTDS was mentioned by 'alas' as his/her favorite and it's not a MS album technically but it's a stunner! The staticky sound of 'Satellite' with beach sounds makes me feel like i'm listening the song on an old style radio while in a rustic cabin on the seashore. When a song can evoke that it's a stunner and it's not even my favorite on the album! I told the local CD store about TTDS and they ended up selling several copies by playing it in the store (like in the movie 'High Fidelity'). I'm not the biggest fan out there of HSATWI's 1st album but the 2nd i LOVE!

'Let That Be' was mentioned by 'melancholy_madness' and specifically the lyric line "I hope you live in misery". That song is a great one as well and the live versions will have to suffice as the band have had ~a decade with the song and no studio version out so likely we won't ever get one. 'Bavarian Fruit Bread' was mentioned by 'alas' and 'Spoon' and that song has a lyric as vindictive as the 'Let That Be' one. "I'm going to spend all my money making you cry". That lyric makes me laugh although i don't think Hope meant it to be funny.

Cheers

[Spoon]

I have been on a Warm Inventions kick lately, both albums and both EPs.

And it makes me excited to listen to Mazzy Star again.

Her entire catalog is so strong!

[Hermesacat]

I've been away from the board (& the net in general a lot) for a while too, partly due to vacationing, including enjoying some of Hope's favourite environs (judging by many of her lyrics, at least), water-y ones, that is, via canoe & kayak trips.

-Afraid I can't settle on fave Mazzy Star songs or even albums, easily. To my ears, the quality of the band's output is consistently so good it's hard to pick favourites. I can say I prefer Hope's singing style from the second album onwards as she developed some nuance I like that's not quite as apparent on the first album. I do have a fave HS&TWI album/EP: TTDS. I agree with the notion "Trouble" is one of the more appealing songs on it.
I notice from yt uploads of the Hope show where I've upped all songs individually, "Trouble" is the most popular, by far. I much like some of the melodies in that one.

Re. "I'm going to spend all my money making you cry," Mike quotes from the song Bavarian Fruit Bread, that line & the whole song does sound like it's a bitter break up song, as "Let That Be," seems to be too. At one time I wondered if "Let That Be" might be about William Reid & her break up from their stormy relationship - until I learned it was an old song dating back to 1994 or earlier, long before they broke up. But who knows, maybe the later Bavarian Fruit Bread's "inspired" by "sweet" William.

-I'm particularly fond of the Bridge School Benefit video melancholy_madness mentions re. "Let That Be." I like the whole set of 5 songs but it's a bonus to have an excellent unreleased song in a pro-recorded version. I like that it's "unplugged," 'cause, although I enjoy David's electric guitar playing, & the sound of full drums, electric bass, & keyboards, the most appealing aspect to me of Mazzy Star's sound is Hope's voice & melodies. And her voice is allowed to shine even more in that video without electric & loud instruments "competing" for listeners' ears. Plus, although she's an introverted singer, not a "show-woman," she's fascinating to watch sing on that day-lit outdoor stage.

[MikeRMD]

Welcome back from your waterborne activities Hermesacat!

When I first discovered 'Let That Be' I posted about how harsh the lyrics were and someone on the old Blvd said it was about Anthony Keidis from the RHCP's but I don't know that band at all and am just passing on what I recall someone posting. Apparently he wrote a song about Hope and so perhaps LTB was her response?

You also mention how you don't really have favorite MS songs or albums as the material is so strong. That's why I'm so happy that they played every (or virtually every) song on their albums live at some point over the years. They certainly don't have anything one could consider as filler.

Cheers,
Mike

[Hermesacat]

Thanks Mike.
Your suggestion re. Anthony Kiedis as possible "inspiration" for "Let That Be" is quite plausible.
Many people here will already know the Red Hot Chili Peppers song you mention that references Hope is "Aeroplane." For those who don't know, It references Hope as "the star of Mazzy," & references Mazzy Star's song "Into Dust" in the Chili Peppers lyric "I'm turning into dust again." My take is the Chili Peppers song seems to be largely about the effect Mazzy Star's melancholy sound & Hope's voice have on Kiedis.

Ah, if only more bands' albums were filler-less!