Through the years, David Lynch has worked in a variety of media – photography, sculpture, web series, furniture and his own line of coffee (no joke). But it’s Lynch’s film and television work for which he is best known, comprising a dossier of art house cult classics including Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and the Twin Peaks series (which at times, I still can’t believe aired on prime time network television).
Music has always been central to Lynch’s film and tv work. Composer Angelo Badalamenti proved a perfect musical match for the dark, surreal world of Lynch’s films. Throughout their 25 year relationship, the pair have collaborated on a number of projects, many of which feature lyrics penned by Lynch. So perhaps it’s not too shocking that Lynch’s current focus is music, and will be releasing his debut album this Fall.
What can we expect from Crazy Clown Time? Lynch released two tracks last year as a teaser, which you can hear on his website. If “Good Day Today” and “I Know” are any indication, the album will be as darkly atmospheric as you’d expect. We’re also promised a collaboration with Karen O. (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Where the Wild Things Are fame).
Many of us are rightly suspicious when artists jump ship from one medium to another (I’m looking at you, Shaquille O’Neal), but Lynch just might pull it off. He consistently proves that he has an impeccable sense of how music and image work together to create moods and textures. From what he’s shared of the project so far, that ability to aurally evoke dark moody soundscapes seems to guide his first foray as a solo artist as well. I for one am intrigued.
Crazy Clown Time releases on November 8 via the David Lynch Music Company.