Album Review :: Mazzy Star - Seasons Of Your Day

Mazzy Star

Seasons Of Your Day

September 24 2013 (Rhymes Of An Hour)

7/10

Words: Andrew Major

With it being a little under two decades since Californian alt phenomena Mazzy Star hit the scene with their 1990 debut release ‘She Hangs Brightly’ and subsequent trio of studio releases, most recently in 1996 with ‘Among My Swan’, it’s little wonder that album number four ‘Seasons Of Your Day’ is generating pandemonium in the music world with fans and critics alike waiting patiently to see what song-writing partners Hope Sandoval and David Roback have to offer and perhaps more importantly if the groups seventeen-year absence has dulled their appeal at all.

‘In The Kingdom’ is a rousing piece of soul infused alt-indie, where Sandoval’s vocals give the track an instant lift, teamed with the silky tone of Roback’s six-string and iced with a constant rotary organ to really put you in the Mazzy Star mood. ‘California’ is the first single to be taken from the album and very much encapsulates the Mazzy Star sound. Up close and personal vocals and a lonely guitar played with feeling while telling a story of its own. ‘California’ conveys a sense of aggression and purpose as it twists and turns through its varied and subtle sonic qualities.

‘I’ve Gotta Stop’ brings out the beauty of Mazzy Star’s traditional folk laced sound, tumbling along towards nothing in particular but always getting there in the end. It truly is a joy to hear Sandoval and Roback back doing what they do best. ‘I’ve Gotta Stop’ draws parallel’s to some of The National’s early releases, a Matt Berninger, Hope Sandoval collaboration would go down a treat. ‘Does Someone Have Your Baby Now’ gives some more of that bread and butter, guitar and vocals set-up. Roback’s playing has clearly been an influence to many modern guitarists with his eclectic range of skills and styles all forming to create an incredible racket. Get your slides at the ready for this one.

It’s tough to identify a real ‘message’ in the album, perhaps this is because there isn’t supposed to be one but either way I like to think it’s merely a story of change, simple as that. ‘Common Burns’ again is a stripped back, front porch kind of affair but on the more up-market side of town. Harmonica, bluesy lead guitar playing off a chiming acoustic with heavenly female vocal; all present and accounted for and all meeting to form the epitome of musical relaxation. Title track ‘Seasons Of Your Day’ has a similar feel to ‘California’ and again follows the same formula that the album adheres to. The record has a constant resonance about it, present in every track and creating a peculiar but really quite special atmosphere.

‘Lay Myself Down’ brings the album up ever so slightly with a very rare snare drum making an appearance which keeps the track plodding along with its honky-tonk upright bass and slide guitar mastery making a comeback. The record’s production as a whole is quite curious, clearly the template of chillingly intimate vocals and ‘in the background’ guitar works wonders however the mixing of percussion is somewhat heavy handed, whether this is intentional or not it seems to overwhelm ‘Sparrow’ and instead of adding to the layers of the track it blocks out melody and swamps the overall feel. ‘Spoon’ includes some beautiful guitar work courtesy of the late Bert Jansch, working with Roback to build a moody and intense backing for Sandoval’s most brooding vocal work yet. ‘Spoon’ wouldn’t go a miss on a Tarantino soundtrack, oozing with six minutes of nonchalant coolness.

‘Seasons Of Your Day’ turns the lights down on its seventeen-year wait with ‘Flying Low’. A surprising end to the record, the expectation of a slow and delicate closing track is totally misplaced. ‘Flying Low’ is a far raunchier, seven-minute saunter. Roback’s slide must be worn out by now! He really can’t put it down and that’s a very good thing as he puts it to good use, putting the likes of Dan Auberbach and maybe even Jack White to shame with the combination of slide riffing and crunchy, erogenous guitar work.

‘Seasons Of Your Day’ is almost exactly what it promised to be, nothing more, nothing less. Not exactly the most life altering and mind expanding record released in the last seventeen years, perhaps this year but never the less an exquisite collection of tracks, each with more emotion and craft than many artists could create in a lifetime. Roback and Sandoval are back; however it doesn’t seem as if they were ever gone. Mazzy Star haven’t changed much at all, ‘Seasons Of Your Day’ is simply a very natural progression from 1996’s ‘Among My Swan’ and in this case bypassing all the genre amalgamations, try-hard come back hype and of course; dub-step. Mazzy Star are what they are and in my book they are still one of best song writing duo’s in recent years.