CD Reviews

David Lynch | Crazy Clown Time

Sunday Best Recordings (2011)

By BARRY THOMPSON | November 2, 2011

2.5 Stars

Psychically separating Crazy Clown Time from David Lynch's peerless filmmaking legacy is sort of like guzzling Lynch's signature brand of coffee until overstimulation compels you to write Twin Peaks fan-fic erotica staring Agent Cooper and the Log Lady, and all the while telling yourself these actions do not co-relate. On Lynch's foray into experimental electro-pop, memorable scenes sporadically pop out of a sprawling, suave, stylish dreamscape where, a lot of the time, not much seems to be happening. In other words, it sounds like a movie he could have made. At intervals — such as the shadowy "Pinky's Dream" (beauteously belted out by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or the elegantly pensive "These are My Friends" — Lynch achieves the darkly engrossing hypnotism of Mulholland Drive. The title track — a swampy, tedious barrage of shrill non-sequiturs documenting a cretin soiree — sucks for the same reasons Inland Empire sucked. But overall, Crazy Clown Time can be aptly compared to Lost Highway (which has an amazing soundtrack featuring songs written by people other than Lynch). It's kind of cool, kind of confusing, and kind of boring.

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse | Dark Night of the Soul
A vague dispute between Danger Mouse and EMI sabotaged a timely release of this last year, and that was followed by the mega-bummer suicides of both Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous and key collaborator Vic Chesnutt last winter.
Avi Buffalo | Avi Buffalo
Look, I get it: the last thing we need right now is yet another band who can be described as “sun-baked,” “reverb-soaked,” or even just “psychedelic.” But Avi Buffalo (I know! An animal name to boot!) are worth your attention for a few reasons.
The Big Hurt: Wascally wappers
Lame as Marilyn Manson may be, I wouldn't wish his fans on him if he were my worst enemy.
Trans Am | What Day Is It Tonight? Trans Am Live, 1993 - 2008
Trans Am are distillers of guilty pleasures, mixing fat AOR riffs with sleazy electronic accents and a propulsive attitude typically reserved for arcade soundtracks. What Day Is It Tonight? covers the DC-area band’s 20-year history with high-quality, high-energy live cuts taken from their many tours.
Various Artists | Where the Action Is: Los Angeles Nuggets 1965 - 1968
More than three years in the making, the most recent installment of Rhino's legendary archival garage-rock series offers an amazingly comprehensive excavation of an absurdly fertile scene.
Various Artists | Nippon Girls: Japanese Pop, Beat & Bossa Nova 1966–1970
Girl-group records are great and everything, yet the countless compilations out there were becoming a little hit-or-miss until 2005, when the great Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found box set finally gave this diverse genre a proper taxonomy.
Various Artists | Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010
The notion that regional musical flavors exist independently in American cities is quickly becoming an archaic truism, seeing as how the world really is a stage these days, at least in the digital sense.
Bearstronaut | Broken Handclaps
There's a distinct absence of wildlife or astronauts on Lowell electronica quartet Bearstronaut's latest release.
Review: Brandon Flowers | Flamingo
Brandon Flowers has gone on record saying he brought the songs on Flamingo to his fellow bandmates for the next Killers album and was given the brush-off.
Review: Kevin Dunn | No Great Lost: Songs 1979–1985
Casa Nueva Industries (2010)
Review: Crocodiles | Sleep Forever
With remarkable swiftness, Crocodiles tick off all the key characteristics of a band in the thriving lo-fi indie/punk/garage scene.
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Topics: CD Reviews , Music, David Lynch, David Lynch, More

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[ 01/08 ] Japanese Monster + Fat Creeps + Guilty Party + The Split @ Church of Boston

[ 01/08 ] "Third in Line" @ Lily Pad

[ 01/08 ] Three Pianos @ Loeb Drama Center

ARTICLES BY BARRY THOMPSON

GIVE UP THE GHOST ROAR BACK FOR A TIMELY REUNION | December 20, 2011
It's tough to maintain unswerving matter-of-factness without boring anybody. But hardcore, at its best, manages exactly that.

JAPAN'S DIR EN GREY FIND HOPE IN A DARK PLACE | December 06, 2011
Back in March, the Japanese band Dir En Grey had recorded about half of what became Dum Spiro Spero, their eighth album. Then the world ended, or at least came pretty close.

JEREMY DUBS | SPEAK! | November 16, 2011
Normally, Jeremy Dubs co-heads Bunnies, whose aural designs emanate from an alternate future of classic rock, evoking ecstatic awe and/or divine terror — a seriously crazy band.

DAVID LYNCH | CRAZY CLOWN TIME | November 02, 2011
Psychically separating Crazy Clown Time from David Lynch's peerless filmmaking legacy is sort of like guzzling Lynch's signature brand of coffee until overstimulation compels you to write Twin Peaks fan-fic erotica staring Agent Cooper and the Log Lady, and all the while telling yourself these actions do not co-relate.

ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD'S SINCERE SARCASM | October 26, 2011
Punks, frequently eager to shove a stick of self-important vainglory up their own asses, have been some of the worst offenders. But, as is usually the case with sweeping generalizations, the exceptions to this one make it look ridiculous.

See all articles by: BARRY THOMPSON

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