Mazzy StOrb

Artist - Psychedelic

Why doesn't anyone ever talk about moonsets? Early this morning I left my house with the sun still sleeping. Looking left toward some vague and tawny brightness, dipping down toward the western horizon, I saw a giant golden orb of the palest marble. It was the moon, softly setting, and it was beautiful. There is a tender sorrow in the moon, a hopefulness matched only by its loneliness. If it had a voice it would be Hope Sandoval's. 

At The Orb concert last night, myself, Q, and a friend of his spoke briefly about the Mazzy Star album So Tonight That I Might See. I excitedly disclosed that it was one of my favorite albums of all time, before either of them had indicated whether they loathed or loved it. I praised her ethereal reverb soaked vocals and smoky nostalgia; a voice both detached yet strongly emotive. The crisp stuttering of cymbals, the subtle tambourine, the rattling of something shaken, are all pure percussive perfection. It's just minimal enough to convey mood without seeming attention seeking. I mean, a portion of the album is just her voice accompanied by arpeggios and gently humming strings. Her dreamy elegant sound blends shoegaze, psychedelia and blues to create a richly atmospheric album capable of filling a room with a thick haze. There's something reminiscent of fire in those songs. Her voice, bewitching, slowly sways, rising and falling, laying itself over you, consuming your ears as coldly as a flame. 

Whoops. This was supposed to be about The Orb. 

Having only recently been exposed to them, I hadn't yet formed an opinion on their music. After seeing the show I can say with certainty that they're a masterful duo. At first, when Uncle Fester and an emaciated Bryan Cranston appeared on stage, I was doubtful, but soon they took the flattened discs on their turntables and spun them into lush, three dimensional soundscapes: orbs. I was immediately transported back to Burning Man and regretted not bringing any psychedelics, though the show was enjoyable without them. I was mesmerized not only by their sound, but by the awesome psychedelic visuals they had paired with their music. I feel I've used the word psychedelic too many times this post. What's a synonym for psychedelic that isn't psychedelic?