Re: Pacific States ☂ WV97 - Chromatics - Shadow
Chromatics are a four piece dream pop band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 2001. The band today comprises of lead vocalist Ruth Radelet (also plays guitar and synthesizer), Adam Miller, Nat Walker and Johnny Jewel. To date the band have released four albums, with a fifth called
Dear Tommy on the horizon. Chromatics music often draws comparisons to Italo Disco, a genre of music that was popular in Italy and other places particularly around Europe during the late 80s to early 90s. The style of music incorporated heavy use of drum machines and healthy dollops of synthesizer for a spacey, and very
futuristic at the time kind of pop.
Shadow you may remember (unless you have goldfish memory like me) was the runner up of the little last minute NF I held last edition that featured two Chromatics songs and two from Sir Sly. It was always my intention to send the best scoring song of the runner up band in that NF to the contest, and so here we are. I discovered this band and song thanks to the revival of my favourite tv series ever, Twin Peaks. At the end of each new episode (occasionally in between), we're taken to the smoky Bang Bang Bar and there we are treated to performances from a whole host of bands and singers including The Nine Inch Nails, Lissie (totally surprised me seeing her there), Sharon Van Etten and dream pop queen and series veteran, Julee Cruise. Chromatics though were the act who stuck with me the most. After an intensely wild first couple of hours, we open the doors of the mysterious Bang Bang Bar for the first time and Chromatics close the double episode with what can only be described as the mother of all homages to everything Twin Peaks and Lynchian. My body slayed to little teenie weenie pieces in the process. Twin Peaks was back.
Twin Peaks is an American murder mystery drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. It ran in the early 90s for two series and was a complete game changer that had a huge influence on pop culture at the time, and to this day continues to find new fans, as well as inspiring a whole new generation of budding directors and artists. Twin Peaks plot centers around the murder of Laura Palmer, a girl found found wrapped in plastic and dumped on the edge of a river outside the logging town, Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate the murder and he meets a cast of weird and wonderful characters along the way. Part of what makes Twin Peaks so special is that there's nothing else quite like it. One minute you're looking at some grisly and horrific scene that has taken you totally by surprise, and then the very next you're watching Dale Cooper getting the hots for a piece of cherry pie from the Double R Diner. It's campy as well as being disturbing, and for better or worse (I pick better) has an awful lot in common with soap operas.
I watched the first two series in I think around 2010 if I remember correctly. My favourite video game Deadly Premonition (known during development as Rainy Woods) was a scandalous love letter to Twin Peaks, with many strong similarities, some of which were altered before release (I guess to avoid any lawsuits). I fell in love with the games world and bizarre bunch of characters. I was given more than enough reason to check out what was the inspiration behind it. I instantly fell in love with everything about Twin Peaks, and subsequently became a big David Lynch fan. Another thing that was so special about Twin Peaks was its music. David Lynch and the composer Angelo Badalamenti have had a lifelong partnership working together. Badalamenti (who I sent to WorldVision back at Christmas with Marianne Faithfull) composed the moody and mysterious, yet achingly beautiful soundtrack for the series and worked together with the singer Julee Cruise, who would become a symbolic figure of the Twin Peaks universe. Sound is something that's so important in Lynch's work, so Badalamenti's contribution to Twin Peaks was pivotal.
Series 2 of Twin Peaks ends on a humongous cliff hanger but besides the feature length film
Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me, fans were left waiting twenty five years to return to their favourite logging town for more mysteries and cherry pie. Most of the characters return for season 3, all (I believe except for a Sheriff) played by their original actors and actresses. One scene in particular broke my heart. An iconic character played by an actress who sadly was dying in real life filmed her final scenes for Twin Peaks as she was gravely ill. It wasn't even acting. It was real and the most poignant moment i've experienced from watching anything before I think in my life. It really left a mark on me and I still think about it. The third series is strange though. Brilliant... but strange and different to the first two. It was wonderful going back again to this town and meeting all the characters. My problem with it was that it was so good that I just wanted more, and i'm unsure if we're ever going to get a fourth helping as this took Lynch and Frost years and years to write, and a lot of actors and actresses are aging. I'd love to find out more about characters like Wally (played by the legendary Michael Cera) and have all the loose ends tied up. But that's not how David Lynch works. He likes to leave you pondering over his work. His other films themselves are confusing. Some mysteries are just never meant to be solved I guess.
Find below a treat. An extended version of Shadow, not quite Daniel levels of long but lengthy enough to get a work out from the slow swaying in front of your mirror that you will experience whilst listening to it. You get to see some scenes from the third season of Twin Peaks as well. Live that fantasy.. for the last time... for the last time... for the last time... for the last time.
It feels great to finally be sending a piece of music attached to this universe I love so much with you all. I always imagined me sending something by Julee Cruise, but I think this Chromatics piece captures perfectly the vibe of Twin Peaks. I love it so much. I hope you enjoy it
And maybe someone here even gets interested in watching the series? *wink wink* That would be great! I don't think i've come across any David Lynch fans on this forum yet.
"This cherry pie is a miracle" - Log Lady