Do David Lynch albums suffer from the same cultural positioning that other Hollywood types' albums do? We may rightly view Jared Leto, Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr musical outings as vanity projects, but has Lynch's varied artistic outings earned him the right to eschew such classifications?
The Big Dream, his second proper solo album, certainly starts with the notion that it has. The title track is a contradictory minimalist, pared down bluesy number than throbs with artificial and metallic electronica. This clash of ideals is where the album excels; it presents a schizophrenic world of human loneliness, beauty and decay from the inside of a living machine.
The throbbing metallic gristle of the album is best accentuated in tracks like I Want You and the Bob Dylan cover The Ballad Of Hollis Brown – compositionally and lyrically, they're just pleasant blues songs. But Lynch's voice and claustrophobic production ideas push them, and the album, into greatness.
The album is without doubt better than Lynch's 2011 hit and miss Crazy Clown Time; it never falters in its tone or pursuit of its vision. Even the less than stellar aspects – Lynch's voice is still a take it or leave it tool here – must be admired for their full-on genuine embrace of a theme. Like much of Lynch's filmography – this album is brilliant, patchy, divisive and unsettling, all overshadowing a genuine human touch and warmth that will permeate through for attentive listeners.
