Music Arcades: Mazzy Star: So Tonight that I May See

I think it was reported one time in Broken Arrow that Neil Young had made a point of listening to Mazzy Star's set when he appeared on the same stage as them. I guess that was at the 1994 Bridge School Benefit, but I can't be sure.

That was enough for me, and off I trooped to my local retailer and bought a copy of their album of the moment.

"Just OK" was probably my verdict at the time, and it still is now. Fade Into You has become a staple of the 6 music indie generation. The rest feels very pleasant with its mournful fiddle, blurry guitar and claret vocals, but also quite derivative — a drone-jangle (drangle?) squarely between Velvet Underground and Jesus and Mary Chain, maybe a little Spacemen 3/Spiritualised.

We listened to So Tonight that I May See coming home from an early Christmas lunch late yesterday afternoon. Was it just the brightness of the car stereo, or is there a hell of a lot of tambourine on this album, quite high up in the mix? Radio 4 had a feature on the correct use of the tambourine in popular music, cautioning against seeing it a simple additive and urging discretion so as to get the most from its seasoning. I'm not sure the experts there would have approved of Mazzy Star.

All I would say is that this isn't the ideal music to accompany a drive down the M40 in the dark and on a very full stomach. Woozy is the word. This must be near the Top 10 of the wooziest albums ever made. Its wooziness latches onto any nascent tiredness in your body and draws it out, which is not good for motorway driving. I was relieved when it was over and we put on one of Lucy's Broken Family Band CDs instead — much better for helping you staying awake.