CD: Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - Until The Hunter

Until The Hunter is the third solo album by Mazzy Star singer, Hope Sandoval, and the long awaited follow-up to 2009’s Through the Devil Softly. It’s safe to say that the intervening time hasn’t encouraged any great stylistic leaps but to say that it’s been worth the wait, would be an understatement.

Mellow Gothic country and folkie blues tunes abound here and if you’re looking for something to get you through the early hours of the morning when things aren’t necessarily at their best, look no further: Until The Hunter is exactly what the doctor ordered. “Into the Trees” opens with a gently throbbing intro that gives way to a low key spacey jazz vibe and Sandoval’s husky whisper repeating “I Miss You” over a whoozy organ. It sets the tone for the rest of the album’s mellow and laidback but not exactly beatific vibe. “Let Me Get There”, a duet with Kurt Vile comes on like a chilled out 21st century Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, and “A Wonderful Seed” has more than a dash of Ennio Morricone’s Spaghetti Western atmospherics.

“The Hiking Song” adds tasteful strings to the mix, while “Isn’t It True” is warm and laidback with an summery groove and Sandoval’s airy vocals. “I Took a Slip” even brings something of Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi’s Rome collaboration with Norah Jones and Jack White to the proceedings with its cinematic atmosphere and hand clap-driven groove. The melancholy air of Hope Sandoval’s new set often suggests a sultry siren from a David Lynch film fronting a Loaded-era Velvet Underground with it’s brittle and unsettling wistfulness. And while it won’t encourage anyone to get up on the dancefloor and cut a rug, Until The Hunter is surely a thing of some considerable beauty.

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