Description
If “In the Kingdom” – an organ-driven gem off Mazzy Star’s new, 17-year-wait LP – seems to echo indie darlings Beach House, it’s because the sound blueprinted by these L.A. dream-pop somnambulists looms large over a new generation of reverb fanatics. That sound is now leaner and richer: Hope Sandoval’s singing is less processed, more ornamented, and while David Roback still trips out on electric guitar (see “I’ve Gotta Stop”), he’s stepped it up on his acoustic. “Spoon” features the late U.K. guitar hero Bert Jansch, and its folksy psychedelia is as beguiling as anything the band has done. It makes for the best kind of comeback: equal parts return and reinvention.
