Considering the amount of undiluted road rage our society has experienced in recent weeks, the return of Hope Sandoval to the American music scene comes not a moment too soon. Through The Devil Softly, her latest collaboration with musical partner Colm Ó Cíosóig of My Bloody Valentine and their group the Warm Inventions, has the power to soothe the savage beast with its dreamlike, candle-lit ambience and transcendent melodies. Fans of Sandoval’s earlier work with Mazzy Star and Opal already know what to expect: a warm bath and a glass of wine, surrounded by fog in a state of suspended animation. Hers is the odd hallucinogen that has a sedative effect, a thick, sensual slow drip into the bloodstream that inspires heavy lids and slackened jaws, just the kind of valium our water supply could use about now. If you already hold tickets to their heavily sold-out show at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Tuesday, we offer our congratulations. If not, we suggest you snap up tickets to her US-tour-ending stop at the Mayan while they last. more ›