So Tonight That I Might See – Mazzy Star ★★½

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
1993	So Tonight That I Might See	Mazzy Star	★★½	54	Rock	Dream Pop

Despite having an indie following, and vocalist Hope Sandoval appearing on various shoegaze and electronic records since the mid 1990s, Mazzy Star is probably considered a one-hit wonder by most. “Fade Into You” is the star on So Tonight That I Might See, the band’s second studio album, and anyone who tells you otherwise is trying too hard to be different. It’s a great, grippin album opener, and it’s a song that really well defines the soft rock ballads of the grunge era. 

So Tonight That I Might See exists very much in its time period, and has a lot of sounds and aesthetics that I like in 90s grunge, shoegaze, alternative rock and old country, especially over the first four tracks. The dream pop inspired “Bells Ring” reminds me of “The Cross” by Prince, featuring a slow, spotlight vocal performance that builds up by the end. “Mary Of Silence” taps into eerie, dark trip-hop vibes a la Portishead or Massive Attack (who Sandoval will work with in the future), but without any of the electronic elements. “Five String Serenade” is a cute, simple acoustic track that’s a little warmer than the others but still has a very personal and stripped-down feel to it. The violin lines on it are really quite lovely. 

But, while the album has a lot of pleasant, calming moments, it’s the same three kinds of songs at essentially the same tempo over and over again, with diminishing returns each time. The songs are still tender and pretty, but without that energy or noise you’d usually find on a dream pop or shoegaze record, it drags. I think that’s why I prefer a lot of Sandoval’s features over her work here, because she brings that great voice and intimacy with her whenever she goes, but with added electronic elements or guitar layers she can still stand out without being left to carry the entire track on her own. “Unreflected” and “Into Dust” are alright on the back end, but hardly make it worth exploring fully.