These 4 Dream Pop Songs by Mazzy Star Won’t Ever Fade

Imagine “if Patsy Cline had lived long enough to record with The Velvet Underground.” That’s how Entertainment Weekly once described Mazzy Star. I don’t think I’ve read a better description of this group, whose principal members were singer Hope Sandoval and instrumentalist David Roback until Roback died in 2020.

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Sandoval’s voice is timeless, like Cline’s. And Roback’s productions recall the subculture experimentalism of Lou Reed’s group. Many listeners may only be familiar with “Fade Into You”, so this list aims to go a little deeper inside Mazzy Star’s dream pop.

“Fade Into You”

Hope Sandoval sings about unrequited love in Mazzy Star’s defining song. She sees mystery in her partner, desperate to lose herself, yet surprised the other person never notices her obsession. The track’s woozy monotony and Sandoval’s zoned-out emotion are hallmarks of Mazzy Star’s dream-state lullabies. In a decade known for distorted guitars and screaming angst, “Fade Into You” shows the other side of sadness. Sometimes, it’s everything you have just to whisper.

“Halah”

On “Halah”, Sandoval sets the framework for Lana Del Rey’s wry songs. Here, the band could be performing in some dive bar somewhere. A few couples are scattered about the place, some dancing, some not. Few pay attention, and the promoter wanted a country band but instead booked a dream pop act. If Phil Spector had produced “Halah”, the tempo would have been sped up for a radio smash. Instead, Sandoval dryly begs her lover to stay while David Roback strums a guitar with indifference.

“Look On Down From The Bridge”

Roback’s compositions feel predestined for a noir film. When Sandoval delivers the line, “I can’t be the same thing to you now,” she offers the heartbreaking thought with a despairing croon that makes the heartbreak feel like a crime scene. Most pop music is engineered for instant gratification. But Mazzy Star’s psychedelic tunes burn slowly, and the eternal sadness makes them feel timeless. Like a candle that won’t go dark anytime soon.

“Into Dust”

Many recordings suffocate from too much instrumentation. But Roback leaves the space. There’s power in it. Power in knowing pain awaits on the other side of love. “Into Dust” is a hazy anthem for the painfully shy. Those too broken to come out from the shadows. The ones burned too many times by stinging loss. Strangely, while Sandoval sings about fading, Roback’s gently plucked chords offer some kind of optimism. Maybe it’s the recognition of how lucky we are to find love in the first place.  

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