She Hangs Brightly

She Hangs Brightly is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star. It was released on May 21, 1990, by Rough Trade Records and re-released by Capitol Records later in the year.

She Hangs Brightly
Studio album by
Mazzy Star
ReleasedMay 21, 1990 (1990-05-21)
Genre
Length40:28
LabelRough Trade
ProducerDavid Roback
Mazzy Star chronology
She Hangs Brightly
(1990)		 So Tonight That I Might See
(1993)
Song sample
20 seconds of "Halah"
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"Blue Flower" was released as a single and reached number 29 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. Four years later, "Halah" reached number 19 on the same chart after the success of "Fade into You".[4]

The album cover is a shot of the interior of Hôtel Tassel in Brussels.

Composition

It showcases the band's trademark effect with haunting guitar work and lyrics, and Hope Sandoval's detached vocals. David Roback's Robby Krieger-inspired psychedelic blues slide guitar style can be heard on the song "Free". "Ghost Highway" is another psychedelic rock track, with a fast rhythm. This song dates from the band's days as Opal and was initially slated to be the title track of Opal's second album. While not a commercial success, this album did establish Mazzy Star as a unique band with a unique sound.

"Blue Flower" is a Slapp Happy cover from the 1972 album Sort Of.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Chicago Sun-Times[6]
Chicago Tribune[7]
Entertainment WeeklyA[8]
Los Angeles Times[9]
NME6/10[10]
Q[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
Select5/5[13]
Uncut10/10[14]

In a review for Rolling Stone, Gina Arnold praised She Hangs Brightly as being "coldly beautiful".[12] AllMusic's Jason Ankeny described Hope Sandoval's vocals as "more sultry" than those of Opal's Kendra Smith and praised "Halah" and "Blue Flower" but criticized the album's lack of focus, calling the remaining tunes "unmemorable".[5]

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana listed She Hangs Brightly in his top fifty albums of all time.[15][16] In 2018, Pitchfork ranked the album at number 29 on its list of the 30 best dream pop albums.[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Hope Sandoval and David Roback, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Halah" 3:16
2."Blue Flower"
3:35
3."Ride It On" 3:01
4."She Hangs Brightly" 6:24
5."I'm Sailin'"Minnie McCoy[18]3:13
6."Give You My Lovin'"Sylvia Gomez[19]3:50
7."Be My Angel" 3:17
8."Taste of Blood" 5:36
9."Ghost Highway"Roback[20]3:28
10."Free" 3:11
11."Before I Sleep" 2:10
Total length:40:28

Personnel

Credits for She Hangs Brightly adapted from album liner notes.[21]

References
  1. "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums". Pitchfork. April 16, 2018. p. 1. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  2. Terich, Jeff (April 5, 2012). "10 Essential Dream Pop Albums". Treble. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  3. Shipley, Al (June 12, 2020). "30 Great Albums From 1990 That Deserve Their Own 30th Anniversary Pieces". Spin. p. 2. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  4. "Mazzy Star Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  5. Ankeny, Jason. "She Hangs Brightly – Mazzy Star". AllMusic. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  6. McLeese, Don (July 20, 1990). "California's Mazzy Star shines brightly". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  7. Kot, Greg (June 14, 1990). "Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly (Rough Trade)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  8. Sandow, Greg (May 25, 1990). "She Hangs Brightly". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  9. Cromelin, Richard (June 9, 1990). "Mazzy Star Debut a Fine Fix of Velvet Blues". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  10. Pouncey, Edwin (May 26, 1990). "Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly / Viv Akauldren: Vivian's Fountain". NME. p. 33.
  11. "Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly". Q. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  12. Arnold, Gina (September 6, 1990). "Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 27, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  13. Cavanagh, David (July 1990). "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Select. No. 1. p. 104.
  14. Bonner, Michael (October 2013). "The Prettiest Star...". Uncut. No. 197. p. 26.
  15. "Top 50 by Nirvana [MIXTAPE]". Joyful Noise Recordings. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  16. Cross, Charles R.; Gaar, Gillian G.; Gendron, Bob; Martens, Todd; Yarm, Mark (2013). Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-7603-4521-4.
  17. "ASCAP Repertoire Database for "Blue Flower"". ASCAP.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  18. "I'm Sailin'". MazzyStar.nu. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  19. "BMI Repertoire Database for "Give You My Lovin'"". BMI.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  20. "BMI Repertoire Database for "Ghost Highway"". BMI.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  21. She Hangs Brightly (liner notes). Mazzy Star. Rough Trade Records. 1990. ROUGH US77-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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