Summary for Twin Peaks fans: I'm pretty sure you'll like this album.
I've been meaning to write about this for a while. Chrysta Bell is the singer/actress who played Agent Tammy Preston in the Twin Peaks sequel that appeared a couple of years ago. Twin Peaks: The Return was the official title, I think. As you may or may not recall, I was somewhat disappointed in it. And having read the Mark Frost book which provided a whole lot of backstory as well as a glimpse into the present of our beloved Twin Peaks characters, I was definitely disappointed that Agent Tammy was not given a more prominent role.
Well, I can forgive that now. This album, a collaboration between Bell and Lynch, is great.
A significant part of the appeal of the original Twin Peaks was the music, composed mainly by Angelo Badalamenti. The show produced an album, officially credited to the singer Julee Cruise who appeared in several episodes, called Floating Into the Night. It is one of my favorite albums; it was one of those featured in the "52 Albums" series we did here a few years ago, and you can read that appreciation here.
So when I say that This Train is almost as good as Floating Into the Night, it's high praise. It's different, not at all an attempt to reprise the artistic success of Floating, definitely its own man, so to speak. It doesn't have the nostalgic quality, but it has something else that's just as strong. How to describe it? Darker, grimier, spookier, less sweet, less romantic, though not unromantic. But more mystical.
Well, describing music is always difficult. If you like this song, you'll like the album.
Or at least most of the album. One or two songs, mainly "Swing With Me," are sexually focused in a way that doesn't help the album as a whole. And the last song, "The Truth Is," seems pretty out of place, a synth-pop song that's not bad in itself but is a bit disappointing as an album closer.
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