Chrystabell & David Lynch: Cellophane Memories
Released August 2nd 2024
CD | DL | Vinyl
Chrystabell & David Lynch deliver a dreamy new collaborative LP with the sublime, Cellophane Memories. Andy Brown shares his thoughts for Louder Than War.
Music has always played an important role in the unique worlds created by filmmaker David Lynch. Whether it’s Dean Stockwell miming to Roy Orbison or an exciting new band playing at the Bang Bang Bar; there is always music in the air. The auteur’s long-running collaboration with composer Angelo Badalamenti casts an enchanting, cinematic spell over so many of his creations. I simply can’t imagine Twin Peaks without those distinctive opening notes. Lynch played guitar on The Pink Room, a snarling instrumental from Fire Walk With Me and this sleazy, dreamy and deliciously dark sound would seep into solo albums like BlueBOB and Crazy Clown Time. By the time The Big Dream was released in 2013, the light had begun to creep through the cracks. Eleven years later and that journey out of the darkness continues with Cellophane Memories.
Lynch is clearly a man who values a good collaboration and this isn’t his first tango with Chrystabell. Twin Peaks aficionados may recognise her as FBI Agent Tammy Preston while she’s also worked with Lynch on musical projects including 2007 EP, Somewhere In the Nowhere. It’s a meeting of minds that continues to yield rather special results. The idea for the new LP first emerged when the director was struck by a vision while out in the forest for a nighttime stroll. Things don’t get much more David Lynch than that. I can already picture Jimmy Scott and Julee Cruise nestled amongst the trees. Both have sadly passed away yet it’s heartening to find that the album contains contributions from the late, great Badalamenti. Cellophane Memories collects numerous sonic threads from the past and brings them together in a way that feels organic, tender and timeless.
While Lynch’s vision provided the spark for the project, it’s important to emphasise that the album feels like an equal partnership. A meeting of souls, if you will. Lynch is responsible for all the arrangements, while Chrystabell breathes life into his words. It is this sense of connection that makes it such a fluid and emotional piece of work. The pair have even released a brilliantly bizarre ‘promotional’ video called, The Moon’s Glow. I mean, I think it’s promoting the album. Either way, the duo have really outdone themselves this time. Over the course of 10 tracks and 37 minutes, Cellophane Memories envelopes us in a cosmic soundscape that exudes light, love and loneliness. A sleepy, otherworldly ambience fills the cold night air as we travel to a place both wonderful and strange.
She Knew gently sweeps us off our feet with a wave of celestial synths courtesy of the much-missed Mr Badalamenti. One of two credited appearances on the LP. Chrystabell’s vocals guide us through the tall trees with emotive, ethereal tones. There is no percussion, hook or chorus to be found, just an ambient swell of emotion. Like a heavy, melancholic heart slowly expanding with hope. The Sky Falls is equally elemental, Lynch eschewing any formulaic trappings with an arrangement built on atmospheare and feel. It sounds crestfallen yet there’s a tremendous amount of beauty to be found in all this synthy sadness. As sometime Lynch collaborator Mark Linkous once said, it’s a sad and beautiful world. You Know The Rest see’s the introduction of Lynch’s iconic, reverb-laced guitar. Chrystabell’s voice gracefully dancing through the mix; slipping between worlds as she beckons us on.
So Much Love softly propels us through the twilight hours with a serene surge of string-like synths. “The countryside was so quiet that day,” coos Chrystabell as our feet brush past the treetops. Badalamenti appears here for the last time; his synthscapes swelling like an orchestra. It’s a beautiful thing to hear him reunited with Lynch. The whole thing is blissful, strange and difficult to adequately describe. Chrystabell’s voice is layered and scattered throughout the album, harmonising with herself as she guides us towards the light. Just listen to the lovelorn, moonlit offering that is Two Lovers Kiss. A simple and magical piece. The Answers To The Questions leans into something far more troubled. Playing drums and bass, composer and Lynch associate Dean Hurley delivers a bluesy shuffle through the dark as the clouds gather overhead.
Words come in and out of focus on the aching, With Small Animals. I’m reminded of the way Alan Sparhawk has electronically manipulated his voice on recent single, Can U Hear. There’s a power to Chrystabell’s voice that isn’t dependent on words. Her vocals are further misshapen on the unnerving and decidedly creepy, Reflections In A Blade. The singer’s words swirl and slip through the encroaching darkness. The synths – provided by Hurley – really are as black as midnight on a moonless night. This bleakness is banished by the appropriately titled, Dance Of Light. A weary yet defiant piece that feels like life returning to the darkest corners of some vast inner forest. Finally, we’re enveloped in the transcendental light of Sublime Eternal Love. If you’ve ever swooned to the sound of Elizabeth Fraser than you’ll be head over heels.
I still remember watching a VHS copy of Mulholland Drive for the first time, sitting up late with a friend and feeling my tiny mind unravel. No cinema experience has ever felt quite like Inland Empire and a day rarely goes by when I don’t think about Twin Peaks. Music and sound design was a crucial component in all these ventures. As you might expect, all 37 minutes of this dreamlike document are infused with a decidedly Lynchian feel. While the third season of Twin Peaks ended with an existential scream into the abyss, Cellophane Memories carries a far more contemplative and comforting message. An album at peace with its past and ready for tomorrow. The horror always lingers on the periphery but the light is finally breaking through. Put those dark sunglasses on folks because the future is looking very bright indeed.
Following a cryptic teaser from Lynch, some fans had hoped for a new film yet this collaborative LP is clearly cause for celebration. Albeit a gorgeously melancholic one. Plus, we get some new Lynch visuals in the shape of the accompanying music videos. If you’re new to the music of David Lynch or Chrystabell, then this project really is a rather stunning place to start. The duo open their hearts and embrace their experimental impulses, ensuring every moment feels fresh and inspired. Cellophane Memories is the sound of two artists wholly at ease with themselves as they steadily drift down a lost highway to the stars. Old friends remembered and the darkness subsumed by light. In the immortal words of Audrey Horne, isn’t it too dreamy?
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You can find David Lynch on YouTube, Twitter/ X, Facebook and Bandcamp.
Chrystabell is on Twitter/ X, Facebook, Instagram and Bandcamp.
Listen to Sacred Bones Records releases on Bandcamp.
All words by Andy Brown. You can visit his author profile and read more of his reviews for Louder Than War here.
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