| REVIEW | The most dreamy, surreal album I've ever heard - dazzling
Given that David Lynch is my favorite director, it's really no surprise that I love Julee Cruise's FLOATING INTO THE NIGHT. The world was introduced to Cruise when she sang "Mysteries of Love" at the end of Lynch's critically-acclaimed masterpiece BLUE VELVET, released in 1986. That song is on Cruise's debut; it's probably the weakest of the songs contained in the album. That's good news, though, because "Mysteries of Love" is a pretty fine song. It pales in comparison, however, to the new material Cruise recorded for FLOATING INTO THE NIGHT - 9 utterly delightful compositions that redefine the word "dreamy".
Let me attempt to describe the album to someone who's never heard any of Cruise's songs. Imagine those old laid-back jukebox tunes from the 1950s. Take those tunes and add a dash of shadiness, then inject that mixture with a narcotic. That's what Cruise's songs sound like. Despite the album cover's depiction of a naked woman floating off into the darkness, the songs on FLOATING INTO THE NIGHT glitter like a case of diamonds. True, they're dark; but they're dark in the same soothing way that sleep is dark. Indeed, the songs on FLOATING INTO THE NIGHT are like dreams converted to music. Take "I Remember", for example. The song rolls along tranquilly at its beginning, but around the midsection it suddenly circles around like a merry-go-round - an eerie surprise that only lasts long enough to throw us off guard before the song metamorphosises back into a 50's rock number. But honestly, what else would you expect from David Lynch, one of the most controversial directors in the film industry? Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti, the immensely talented composer who has worked with Lynch on nearly all of his productions, produced the album. Lynch wrote the lyrics for the songs (which are surreally beautiful and make the bold decision not to rhyme), while Badalamenti wrote the wonderful music. It's filled with tight drumming, strong bass, and anything else you'd expect from the dream pop of the late-1950s and 1960s.
Not surprisingly, most of the album's fans are also fans of David Lynch's work - in particular, TWIN PEAKS, Lynch's brilliant TV series about a mysterious town in Washington and its wacky inhabitants. Julee Cruise actually appeared on TWIN PEAKS in a few episodes to sing some of the songs on this album, namely the be-boppin' "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart", the unnervingly mysterious "Into the Night", and "The Nightingale". The song will attract the most attention from PEAKS fans is "Falling", an instrumental version of which wound up becoming the show's instantly-recognizable theme song; the album version of the song also wound up in the show's second season.
One of my favorite songs on the album is "The Swan", a song with an opening like something straight out of a nightmare. There's an eerie calm through the rest of the song as well, but it gradually becomes more upbeat; still, there's something unpredictable and unnatural about the melody, the lyrics, Cruise's singing - the whole song. It's a very unusual composition that disturbs me - and impresses me - every time I hear it.
I simply love this album. I would call it an essential album. If you don't own it, then I would most certainly recommend that you correct that error and give it a spin in your CD player of choice. David Lynch, Angelo Badalamenti, and especially the wonderful Ms. Julee Cruise really hit it big with this dazzling masterpiece. If ever there was an album more surreal or dreamy, I can't imagine what it was like. This is a gorgeous record. Purchase it and dream on. |
