Highlights: In The Kingdom, Lay Myself Down, Flying Low
And the good taste
prevails.
When people say ‘seasons’,
they often mean a change of some kind. Generally that would be a logical
assumption to make – one, however, that would mean fuck-all when dealing with a
band like Mazzy Star. Because Mazzy Star doesn’t change. It’s like a line in
that old Woody Allen play – “It’s my style. I show up in a place, and I stay”.
They showed up in late 80’s, and here they are still doing the same old mellow,
dreamy, pleasantly psychedelic thing.
And doing very well
indeed. David Roback’s masterful guitar seduces you with understated intensity
(the man’s a terrific mood-guitarist) and Kendra Smith’s soothingly powerful
voice (which hasn’t change one tiny bit) pulls all those nocturnal strings of
your heart. The combination still works like magic, and why wouldn’t it. The
style, the production, the instrumentation, the taste – all impeccable. The question
of melody remains an elusive one, mainly because you get lost in the bluesy
licks and lovely autumnal mood and care very little about all secondary issues.
What matters (seemingly so) is the timeless organ in the opening “In The
Kingdom” or the wistful harmonica in the solipsistic (did I just say that?) “Common
Burn” or the chugging groove of “Flying Low”. It’s only when the album is over
and you realise that you don’t really remember any of the actual tunes that you
think: “Ah well, nice, but just how good
was it?..”
The answer is – very good. Brilliant and soul-melting
while it’s on, Seasons Of Your Day is
everything you could wish from Mazzy Star. In the past, today or at any point
in the future.
7/10
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