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MULHOLLAND DRIVE - Motion Picture Soundtrack
If you watch a new David Lynch film and you don't see the name Angelo
Badalamenti in the Music credits, you know something's wrong. For this,
the latest Lynch masterpiece, Badalamenti again adds to that surreal duality
of the man's inspiring and confusing visual genius. I won't even get into
the film's subject matter, as you simply have to catch it before it disappears
from circuit. As in many of the Lynch-Badalamenti collaborations (like
Twin
Peaks
and Blue
Velvet),
the music evokes a total sense of revisiting (if you experienced the film)
or, if you hadn't been as fortunate, still providing the listener with
an amazing feeling of "being there". Its atmosphere of an apparent straight
forward, but way twisted realm, spoken in the language of music. This
includes everything from Jitterbug style songs, to love themes, classic
stereotype movie styles of suspense and passion, a feeling of the 50's
and moments of time suspended by hypnotic notes, projecting an ominous
feeling of dread hidden underneath the sparkling Hollywood surface of
the subject matter. A sickeningly sweet number, I've Told Every Little
Star, used in a casting scene of the film, happily made it onto the
soundtrack, as well as Llorando, a splendid Spanish (or is it Italian?)
rendition of Roy
Orbison's
song, Crying. Very much into his audio paintings over his pictures,
Lynch also adds to the soundtrack by co-operating either with Badalamenti
or engineer John Neff, expanding the already mood-oozing sounds into instances
of pure emotion. Combining orchestra with synthesizers augments the emotional
reach of the music in stead of cheapening it. If you love the Lynch-Badalamenti
combination, you needn't be convinced by this review to get out there
and buy this extraordinary soundtrack to a bafflingly wonderful film.
6 / A
- PB
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