Review Summary: Nightmarish in its vision. Dreamy in its muted smile.
It's as if Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch decided that the music from the movie "Twin Peaks" (1992) needed to be even sexier and scarier than the series' original soundtrack. Since the film is an entirely different animal than the latter, they offer only brief snippets of the melodies often used in the show. "Twin Peaks" (1990-1991), the television show, demonstrated Badalamenti's genius. The music of "Fire Walk With Me" builds on its predecessor and establishes an absolutely sensational aesthetic for jazz with synthesizers, joining complete instrumental works with a few songs. Here the music is more jazz and less dramatic. However, it does not reach the haunting sound of the series soundtrack, nor a genius quality.
Never before have colors evoked such confused emotional responses. The film's central theme recalls the fuzzy blue mesh during the credits, and the lone trumpet establishes the dreamlike atmosphere so present in the town of Twin Peaks. Moreover, that blue is so unsettling and disturbing, yet equally stealthy. It certainly sets the tone for most of the rest of the album. The highlights here are the dreammy Moving Through Time and Sycamore Trees, the former dominated by improvisation and vibraphone, and the latter is the song that appeared in the final episode of the series, with legendary jazz singer Jimmy Scott giving a sad lament with one of David Lynch's most mysterious lyrics. Also worthy of mention, The Pink Room, composed solely by Lynch, brings to mind that insultingly saturated pink - a kind of pink so disgustingly sexualized and erotic. Also, Badalamenti's Black Dog Runs At Night is perhaps the scariest track here, featuring vocals by Angelo himself. On the weaker side, there is Best Friends, a short and simple piano and guitar work written by Lynch and David Slusser, there is nothing special about this track and, unfortunately, it ends up being a filler.
In conclusion, Angelo Badalamenti's remarkable soundtrack manages to be beautiful, creepy and, unlike many soundtracks, extremely audible on its own. It may not be perfect, but "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" is among the most sublime and painful albums ever recorded. All the songs fit like a glove into the context of the film and into the viewer's mind, waiting to be dissolved. It's a shame that the film received such negative reviews when it was released, because this automatically caused the music to pass by most listeners. Interestingly, the only awards won by the film were for Badalamenti's soundtrack, which won a Spirit Award, a Saturn Award and a Brit Award.
