Five Ways of Disappearing

In the '80s, Kendra Smith was a founding member of both The Dream Syndicate and Opal (the band that later morphed into Mazzy Star) before dropping out of the music scene for several years and returning with The Guild of Temporal Adventurers for a self-titled EP in 1992. Her final musical statement, however, was apparently her 1995 solo debut, Five Ways of Disappearing. It's also her most substantial work, an unexpectedly eclectic set that never settles on one style for long. Where her previous works had been either loud and demanding or hypnotic and mysterious, Five Ways of Disappearing even includes a sunny pop song, “In Your Head.” Produced by Smith and The Temporal Adventurers’ A. Phillip Uberman, the album includes unexpected heavy rock guitars and buzzy synths on “Aurelia,” more expected pump organ drones on “Bohemian Zebulon,” and even a sense of Pink Floyd’s “Mother” with the overly flanged guitars on “Space: Unadorned.” The trance-inducing “Drunken Boat,” the psychedelic folk of “Valley of the Morning Sun,” and the spooky “Judge Not” round things out. Smith's ensuing silence has been disappointing, even tragic.