Music Review: David Lynch — Good Day / I know
“I got a real indication, of a laugh comin‘ on,” is a line from the Twin Peaks Firewalk With Me soundtrack’s song, “Real Indication.” The memory of that song was my first response to “I Know,” the flip side of David Lynch’s first original single, “Good Day Today.” (Is it possible to have a “flip side” of a digital download?) All three songs are representative of Lynch’s interest and experimentation with electronic music, aka, “electronica.” The use of computers and electronic devices to alter the singer’s voice (in this case, Lynch himself) isn’t new. My first encounter with it was on Peter Frampton’s use of a talk box circa 1975.
Electronica is a medium that fits the creativity of David Lynch well. Traditional instruments can’t always produce what’s in his mind — as if anything could. Maybe there should be a new word in the dictionary that encompasses all the adjectives that are so, well, “Lynchian”. Lynch takes this opportunity to explore the available options of the medium and listeners get the benefit. When I downloaded my copies, “I Know” ended up first in my queue and it segues nicely into what would be the “A” side if this was vinyl.
“Good Day Today” contrasts the slower moody “I Know” with an upbeat, faster (almost disco-esque) tempo and optimistic lyrics. “I wanna have a good day today, send me an angel, save me.” For Lynch, at least, that’s optimistic. If I were a guest on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and asked to rate it on a 1 to 10 scale, I’d say, “I give it an 8! It’s got a good beat and it’s fun to dance to.”
Probably as much as any movie director ever, Lynch has been in synch (no pun intended) with the importance of music in his films. He’s taken an active role in choosing just the right music for a specific scene even if it means writing it himself, ie: “Mysteries of Love“ from Blue Velvet (with film composer Angelo Badalamenti) .
Both “Good Day Today” and “I Know” were released on November 29 by Sunday Best Recordings and available exclusively via iTunes.com. A full release with re-mixes is expected in January 2011. In the meantime, block Bill Withers out of your mind and enjoy, “I know, I know, I know, I know.”
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