Altered Zones

Tamaryn says:
Clay Allison were a brilliant Paisley Underground act out of Los Angeles in the mid-'80s who later became the band Opal. "Brigit on Sunday", sung by Kendra Smith (also of Dream Syndicate), foreshadows the later work that David Roback (also of Rain Parade) would do with Mazzy Star. With its tribal toms and hypnotic repetition, it grooves on like a more sensual "Ghost Highway". When I first discovered Kendra, I was seduced by the control and subtlety of her voice and immediately fell in love with her unaffected character and perfect sense of phrasing. This track comes from a 1989 compilation of the two Clay Allison EPs that was released under the title Opal-Early Recordings; as far as I know, it hasn't been re-released since. Every song on it is gorgeous, but my two other favorites are the Doors-y "Grains of Sand"-- also sung by Kendra-- and "Lullabye", where David's vocals remind me of Brendan Perry from Dead Can Dance-- in the best possible way.  I also recommend Kendra Smith's solo album, The Guild of Temporal.

MP3: Clay Allison: "Brigit on Sunday" (1984)