Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch
The Twin Peaks Archive

If there ever was a director whose films were so vividly captured in mood and essence by their music, it would be David Lynch. Thanks to his longtime composer, Angelo Badalamenti, it’s nearly impossible to listen to any of his soundtracks and not find yourself completely immersed.

Now, after two soundtracks for one of television’s most daring series, we get The Twin Peaks Archive, which features hours of unreleased music from the show that Lynch and Badalamenti fans will no doubt salivate over.

And there’s plenty to drool over; the trademark dark jazz instrumentals, warped sounds, eerie and/or lovely synth motifs, and American nostalgia are all here, but boy, oh boy is there a lot of filler. Some may be able to live without the multiple versions of the show’s main themes, though the alternate instrumentation on those versions can be interesting and provide a unique ambience not there otherwise (particularly on the several versions of “Laura Palmer’s Theme”).

But then there’s the truly incidental music – background country music from the diner jukebox or piano music from the hotel lobby, even – GASP – several bits from the show’s “Miss Twin Peaks” pageant.

They’ve truly emptied the archives here; so you’re likely to get brilliance and rubbish; much like Twin Peaks’ second season.

Luckily this music is for sale on Lynch’s website, where you can pick individual tracks or bundles, which are grouped by theme or mood; it’s up to you to pick out the real winners.