Fans of cult director David Lynch continue to wait for him to make a triumphant return to features or television, but during his lengthy sabbatical from filmmaking, he’s become pretty damn good at being a musician. He made an exceptionally strong debut with 2011’s creepily atmospheric Crazy Clown Time, and now he’s created another suite of gleefully unhinged, unsettling ambience in The Big Dream.
Indeed, there are a lot of producers who would kill for a groove as mesmerising as the one Lynch conjures on the opening title-track, propelled forward by a delightfully weird trip-hop rhythm. Lynch has said that the blues was a big influence on the writing of The Big Dream and there’s a notable sliver of offbeat Americana on the record, with Lynch taking on a kind of psycho-hillbilly vocal persona on tracks like ‘Say It’, ‘Sun Can’t Be Seen’ and ‘The Ballad Of Hollis Brown’, the latter a Bob Dylan cover. The mix of country grooves and Lynch’s patented style of menacing surrealism works a treat, although perhaps the best tune of all is ‘Wishin’ Well’, a gorgeous slice of dark electro that Massive Attack would be proud of.
Elsewhere, ‘Last Call’ has echoes of Trent Reznor – Lynch directed the video for the recent NIN track ‘Came Back Haunted’ – the otherworldly ‘Cold Win Blowin’’ recalls This Mortal Coil, and the closing ‘Are You Sure’ a is delightful piece of dream-pop. Overall, terrific stuff.

Key Track: 'Wishin' Well'