Johnny Jewel: Themes For Television (180g, Colored Vinyl) Vinyl 2LP

Watching the premiere episode of the Twin Peaks Limited Event Series come to a close with a live performance by the Chromatics was a truly surreal experience, as two hitherto distinct entities that I’d cherished separately coalesced on screen before my eyes. It only makes sense that Johnny Jewel and David Lynch would find each other in 2017, if you’ve tracked Jewel’s metamorphosis from the mad scientist behind two messy Portland no wave bands into indie music’s premiere purveyor of ethereal moods in just under 10 years. Jewel was already a year deep into recording Windswept when he heard that Lynch was working on a new season of Twin Peaks, but was inspired to create “a monumental six hours of material, working entirely without images, drawing from his own imagined version of what The Return​ might be.” This is the best of what was left on the cutting room floor. Think of it as an entirely Jewel-produced alt version of the Twin Peaks score, akin to what Symmetry’s Themes From An Imaginary Film was to Drive. Here Jewel channels the ubiquitous jazz schlock of the original series (“Loveless,” “Lipstick,” “Black Room,” “Nightmare”) alongside vintage Rhodes and music box ballads (“Breathless,” “Tomorrow Is Yesterday,” “Embers,” “Sleepless”) interspersed with his trademark moody synthscapes (“Red Curtains,” “Self Portrait,” “Sleepless,” “Red Door”). There’s an alternate ‘minimal’ mix of “Windswept,” one of the more memorable pieces from the series, and an instrumental reprise of Chromatics’ “Shadow.” Wifey Meagan Louise (of Desire) pops up for the album’s sole vocal, a stripped-down redux of “Saturday.”  Pressed on 180g cherry pie colored double vinyl, housed in deluxe gatefold with printed inner sleeves, recommended.

• 'cherry pie' colored vinyl
• 180g double vinyl pressing
• gatefold sleeve
• printed inner sleeves
• limited edition
• music label: Italians Do It Better 2018

reviewed by carparts, bottles & cutlery 07/2018