Rising out of the California's underground culture, Hope Sundoval and David Roback (Rain Parade, Opal) are continuing an experience into a novel, legitimately alternative nature.

So Tonight That I Might See, a second Mazzy Star contribution following She Hangs Brightly and a label switch from Rough Trade, is a melange of blues, country, folk, and other stuff, without any single dominating style.

Ms. Sondoval cries in a supernal, sedative mode, sometimes reciting poetry and sometimes catching melodies. Instrumentally, So Tonight can be serene ("Into Dust"), melancholic ("Bells Ring"), and hallucinatory ("Marty of Silence") with a mixture of chamber effects and acoustic guitar.

"Fade Into You" is a romantic ghost that has been haunting alternative radio. In almost a clichˇ fashion, Mazzy Star covers Arthur Lee's "Five String Serenade" and it is one of the highlights of the album. Lee was the leader of Love, a California band in the sixties. Many of that band's songs are covered by California artists. "She's My Baby" approaches an acidic climax accompanied with the ever-present acoustic guitar. But by no means would So Tonight be considered an acoustic show. It is just one of the intricate parts that structure the entire experience. "Wasted" goes about in a seventies distortion guitar style with a messy-yet-working end. The title track and final cut, "So Tonight That I Might See" serves well as an amalgamation of the entire release, drawing from noise, acoustics, hallucinations, and spoken word performances.

Without the accompanied lyric, the "message" of this band is a little hard to distinguish. I get the feeling they want it that way. Mazzy Star is the black-clothed, pale skinned undergrounder. So Tonight could be a tranquilizer, or maybe even a mind drug. Either way, you do not have to say "no" to this one.

P.S. Thanks Vernon (Antic Hay guitarist) for the extra tid bits.

Reviewer:  Bonn Garrett, courtesy of Flash Magazine.