Hope Sandoval
Encyclopedia
Hope Sandoval is an American
singer-songwriter
who is the lead singer for Mazzy Star
and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions
.
Sandoval has toured and collaborated with other artists, including vocals on Massive Attack's
"Paradise Circus" from their 2010 album Heligoland. Recent interest in her unique vocal style has been ignited by the release of "Gears of War 3" trailer, featuring Mazzy Star's "Into Dust".
. She attended Mark Keppel High School
. In 1986, she formed the folk music
duo Going Home with Sylvia Gomez, and recorded one album produced by David Roback
, which is yet to be released.
in the late 1980s alongside David Roback
and long-time Roback collaborator Kendra Smith
. After Smith's abrupt departure during a tour, Sandoval took over lead vocals. At the end of the tour, Roback and Sandoval began writing together and formed the alternative/dream pop
band Mazzy Star
.
The first Mazzy Star album, She Hangs Brightly
, was released in 1990. While not a commercial success, this album did establish Mazzy Star as a band with a unique sound.
The band had a surprise breakthrough hit single released in October 1993. "Fade into You
" — from its second album So Tonight That I Might See
— was recorded one year before it became a success.
There is a continuity between the sounds and moods established on Mazzy Star's first two albums and its third and last album to date, Among My Swan
.
, Death in Vegas
, Le Volume Courbe
, Richard X
, The Chemical Brothers
, The Jesus and Mary Chain
, Twilight Singers, Vetiver
, and Massive Attack
.
in 2001. This album sounds a little different in terms of theme, voice, and instrumentation from that of her work with Mazzy Star
. Bert Jansch plays guitar on two tracks, and the album features two covers, "Butterfly Mornings" from the film The Ballad of Cable Hogue
(1970) and Jesus and Mary Chain's "Drop". The Warm Inventions released two EPs, At the Doorway Again
in 2000 and Suzanne in 2002 but did not win commercial success, with one video on MTV
and little radio play. Sandoval recorded a song, "Wild Roses", for a compilation CD released by Air France, In the Air (2008).
Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions released their second album, Through the Devil Softly
, on September 29, 2009.
Sandoval and her band were chosen by Matt Groening
to perform at the edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties
festival he curated in May 2010 in Minehead, England. The group also played the ATP New York 2010
music festival in Monticello, New York in September 2010 at the request of film director Jim Jarmusch
.
, harmonica
, glockenspiel
or shaker. She is reputed to have a shy personality, and rarely interacts with the audience.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
who is the lead singer for Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Monica, California, in 1989 from the group Opal, a collaboration of guitarist David Roback and bassist Kendra Smith...
and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions
Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions is an independent alternative/dream pop band composed of Hope Sandoval from the dormant band Mazzy Star and Colm Ó Cíosóig of My Bloody Valentine. Their first album Bavarian Fruit Bread was released in 2001. Bass player Alan Browne from Irish band Dirt Blue Gene...
.
Sandoval has toured and collaborated with other artists, including vocals on Massive Attack's
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
"Paradise Circus" from their 2010 album Heligoland. Recent interest in her unique vocal style has been ignited by the release of "Gears of War 3" trailer, featuring Mazzy Star's "Into Dust".
Early life and career
Hope Sandoval grew up in a Catholic Mexican-American family in East Los Angeles, CaliforniaEast Los Angeles, California
East Los Angeles is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
. She attended Mark Keppel High School
Mark Keppel High School
Mark Keppel High School is a four-year California Distinguished School located in the city of Alhambra, California in the Alhambra Unified School District. The school is on the southern edge of Alhambra, adjacent to the City of Monterey Park, and borders the Interstate 10 Freeway...
. In 1986, she formed the folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
duo Going Home with Sylvia Gomez, and recorded one album produced by David Roback
David Roback
David Roback is a guitarist and songwriter best known as a member of the duo Mazzy Star.Roback grew up in Los Angeles and attended Palisades High School, graduating in 1975. He was a classmate and neighbor of John Hoffs, the brother of Susanna Hoffs, who would eventually become the lead singer of...
, which is yet to be released.
Opal and Mazzy Star
Sandoval performed with the band OpalOpal (band)
Opal were an American alternative/psychedelic band in the 1980s. They were part of the Paisley Underground musical style.The group formed in the mid-'80s under the name Clay Allison, featuring guitarist David Roback , bassist Kendra Smith and drummer Keith Mitchell...
in the late 1980s alongside David Roback
David Roback
David Roback is a guitarist and songwriter best known as a member of the duo Mazzy Star.Roback grew up in Los Angeles and attended Palisades High School, graduating in 1975. He was a classmate and neighbor of John Hoffs, the brother of Susanna Hoffs, who would eventually become the lead singer of...
and long-time Roback collaborator Kendra Smith
Kendra Smith
Kendra Smith is an American musician who was a founding member of Dream Syndicate, a member of Opal, and later recorded as a solo artist.-Biography:...
. After Smith's abrupt departure during a tour, Sandoval took over lead vocals. At the end of the tour, Roback and Sandoval began writing together and formed the alternative/dream pop
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
band Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Monica, California, in 1989 from the group Opal, a collaboration of guitarist David Roback and bassist Kendra Smith...
.
The first Mazzy Star album, She Hangs Brightly
She Hangs Brightly
-Personnel:Music*Peter Blegvad – composer, "Blue Flower"*William Cooper*Keith Mitchell*Anthony Moore – composer, "Blue Flower"*Paul Olguin*David Roback*Hope SandovalProduction*David Roback – producerDesign...
, was released in 1990. While not a commercial success, this album did establish Mazzy Star as a band with a unique sound.
The band had a surprise breakthrough hit single released in October 1993. "Fade into You
Fade into You
"Fade Into You" was the highest charting song from alternative rock/dream pop group Mazzy Star. The song was written by lyricist Hope Sandoval and composer David Roback, who also served as producer. The song made the Top 5 of Billboard's Modern Rock chart in 1994, peaking at number three, and is...
" — from its second album So Tonight That I Might See
So Tonight That I Might See
So Tonight That I Might See is the second studio album by the dream pop band Mazzy Star, released on October 5, 1993. The album's first track, "Fade into You," was the band's only single to make the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #44...
— was recorded one year before it became a success.
There is a continuity between the sounds and moods established on Mazzy Star's first two albums and its third and last album to date, Among My Swan
Among My Swan
Among My Swan is the third album by the band Mazzy Star. Although Among My Swan did not contain any US Billboard Hot 100 hits like its predecessor, So Tonight That I Might See, this album did garner the band its highest-ranking single on the UK Singles Chart, when "Flowers In December" reached #40...
.
Post-Mazzy Star
After 1996, Sandoval collaborated with a series of artists, including Air, Bert JanschBert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
, Death in Vegas
Death in Vegas
Death in Vegas are a psychedelic rock and electronic rock band from the United Kingdom, comprising two permanent members: Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes...
, Le Volume Courbe
Le Volume Courbe
Le Volume Courbe is a band by French-born, London-based singer/songwriter, Charlotte Marionneau. "Le Volume Courbe" was a name of a sculpture by a friend of Marionneau's....
, Richard X
Richard X
Richard Philips, best known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens...
, The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers are a British electronic music duo comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Originating in Manchester in 1991, along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, and fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture.- Background...
, The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Glasgow in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid...
, Twilight Singers, Vetiver
Vetiver (band)
Vetiver are an American folk band headed by songwriter Andy Cabic.- History :Cabic was a member of the Greensboro, North Carolina indie rock band The Raymond Brake who released some records on the now defunct Simple Machines label. He formed Vetiver after moving to San Francisco. The band...
, and Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
.
Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions
Sandoval formed The Warm Inventions in 2000 and released her first solo album Bavarian Fruit BreadBavarian Fruit Bread
Bavarian Fruit Bread is the debut album from Hope Sandoval, former vocalist of Mazzy Star, and Colm Ó Cíosóig, former drummer of My Bloody Valentine, released under the name Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions on October 23, 2001 by Sanctuary Records in the United States and on November 5, 2001 by...
in 2001. This album sounds a little different in terms of theme, voice, and instrumentation from that of her work with Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Monica, California, in 1989 from the group Opal, a collaboration of guitarist David Roback and bassist Kendra Smith...
. Bert Jansch plays guitar on two tracks, and the album features two covers, "Butterfly Mornings" from the film The Ballad of Cable Hogue
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
The Ballad of Cable Hogue is a 1970 Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Jason Robards, Stella Stevens and David Warner.Set in the desert of Arizona during the transitional period when the frontier was closing, the movie follows three years in the life of Cable Hogue, a failed...
(1970) and Jesus and Mary Chain's "Drop". The Warm Inventions released two EPs, At the Doorway Again
At the Doorway Again
At The Doorway Again is the debut EP from Hope Sandoval, former vocalist of Mazzy Star, and Colm Ó Cíosóig, former drummer of My Bloody Valentine, released under the name Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions on October 11, 2000 by Rough Trade.-Tracklisting:...
in 2000 and Suzanne in 2002 but did not win commercial success, with one video on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and little radio play. Sandoval recorded a song, "Wild Roses", for a compilation CD released by Air France, In the Air (2008).
Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions released their second album, Through the Devil Softly
Through the Devil Softly
Through the Devil Softly is the second studio album from Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions. Recorded over a two-year period between 2007 and 2009 in Northern California and Ireland, the album was released by Nettwerk on 28 September 2009 - eight years after the release of their previous studio...
, on September 29, 2009.
Sandoval and her band were chosen by Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
to perform at the edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival he curated in May 2010 in Minehead, England. The group also played the ATP New York 2010
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
music festival in Monticello, New York in September 2010 at the request of film director Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch
James R. "Jim" Jarmusch is an American independent film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor and composer. Jarmusch has been a major proponent of independent cinema, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:...
.
Performing style
During live performances, Sandoval prefers to sing in near-darkness with only a dim backlight, playing the tambourineTambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
or shaker. She is reputed to have a shy personality, and rarely interacts with the audience.
Mazzy Star
- She Hangs BrightlyShe Hangs Brightly-Personnel:Music*Peter Blegvad – composer, "Blue Flower"*William Cooper*Keith Mitchell*Anthony Moore – composer, "Blue Flower"*Paul Olguin*David Roback*Hope SandovalProduction*David Roback – producerDesign...
(1990) - So Tonight That I Might SeeSo Tonight That I Might SeeSo Tonight That I Might See is the second studio album by the dream pop band Mazzy Star, released on October 5, 1993. The album's first track, "Fade into You," was the band's only single to make the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #44...
(1993) - Among My SwanAmong My SwanAmong My Swan is the third album by the band Mazzy Star. Although Among My Swan did not contain any US Billboard Hot 100 hits like its predecessor, So Tonight That I Might See, this album did garner the band its highest-ranking single on the UK Singles Chart, when "Flowers In December" reached #40...
(1996)
Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions
- Bavarian Fruit BreadBavarian Fruit BreadBavarian Fruit Bread is the debut album from Hope Sandoval, former vocalist of Mazzy Star, and Colm Ó Cíosóig, former drummer of My Bloody Valentine, released under the name Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions on October 23, 2001 by Sanctuary Records in the United States and on November 5, 2001 by...
(2001) - Through the Devil SoftlyThrough the Devil SoftlyThrough the Devil Softly is the second studio album from Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions. Recorded over a two-year period between 2007 and 2009 in Northern California and Ireland, the album was released by Nettwerk on 28 September 2009 - eight years after the release of their previous studio...
(2009)