Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions — Through The Devil Softly

Eight years ago, I lamented over the length of time Hope Sandoval had taken to release her solo album Bavarian Fruit Bread after the demise of her previous band, Mazzy Star.

I'm far less surprised that it took another eight years to get Through The Devil Softly out. What I can't understand is why it took so long. It's not like she spent that time developing a new musical style. In fact, Through The Devil Softly falls into step with her musical output from 2001.

The title of the new album seems representative of Sandoval's political and social outlook: walk softly and don't rattle any cages. While Through The Devil Softly doesn't have the dynamics or melodic charms of its predecessor, it does capture the enchantment of Sandoval's foggy vocal delivery.

Sandoval establishes a glacial pace right from the opening track, "Blanchard." Her hurtin' lyrics are supported by the bare minimum of musical instruments, though there's a hint of menace in their tone.

Sandoval's sweet melancholy re-establishes its dominance with the sublime "Warm Roses," a song that comes closest to recreating the melodic charm of Bavarian Fruit Bread. "Thinking Like That" features Sandoval's vocals intermingled with a classical guitar and a haunting violin solo. "Satellite" carefully ventures into space age territory, featuring a more tortured Sandoval vocal and some almost dissonant musical backing.

While there are some new sonic adventures explored here, Through The Devil Softly, in its entirety, tends to bog down on its own aching, sad pace.

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