Rockbites: Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions release debut LP

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Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions release debut LP
6 November 2001

With their new album Bavarian Fruit Bread released late October simultaneously in the US and the UK, Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions plant a shimmery flag for Trip-Folk. Vocalist/songwriter Sandoval (of Mazzy Star fame, later sitting in with The Jesus & Mary Chain and The Chemical Brothers) along with drummer Colm O’Ciosoig (ex My Bloody Valentine, then with Clear Spot) have revealed that gentle American folk ballad stylings—including sparse acoustic guitar and harmonica—go brilliantly with echo, reverb, electric bass, and drugged-out, romantic vocals.
    The Warm Inventions are miles away from the poppier (though still dark) Mazzy Star, who featured David Roback’s signature guitar work—hence, many critics expecting a new Mazzy Star album (The Warm Inventions were supposed to be just a side project of a re-formed MS) have complained rather sulkily. It’s their loss, and the loss of any readers who take those words to heart. Dylan went electric. Sandoval went folk. Horrors.
    The band’s debut LP is out (somewhat curiously, perhaps) on international metal/hardcore label Sanctuary, home to the likes of Megadeth, Corrosion Of Conformity, Rollins Band, and Black Sabbath. It’s selling well on both sides of the Atlantic.
    Of the many guest musicians on Bavarian Fruit Bread, the most notable is legendary acoustic guitarist Bert Jansch (ex Pentangle, and whose fans have included artists from Nick Drake to Neil Young to Johnny Marr).
    The LP sleeve lists 11 tracks but the disc contains 12. The 'hidden' one is in the middle at position 9, a lovely 80 second organ solo between Clear Day and the title.
    Sharing more in common with Violet Indiana and Spiritualized than with Mazzy Star, these songs are brazenly delicate and stunningly evocative. Downtempo and dark, they glow brightly, illuminated from within by Sandoval’s goddess-siren voice. Four bites out of five.

Rockbites ratings  5: life changing, 4: stunning, 3: captivating, 2: amusing, 1: annoying.

| Sanctuary Records | | Mazzy Star fan site | | My Bloody Valentine fan site | | CD on Amazon US | | top of page |

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