Thought Gang
is the collective moniker of two towering proponents of all things weird. Over the years,
Angelo Badalamenti
has created the soundtrack for
David Lynch
's surrealist visions, from
Blue Velvet
to
Twin Peaks
Mulholland Drive
. In the early '90s, they began collaborating on a purely musical project, which was 90-percent completed during that decade. What began in 1991 took 26 years to see daylight, or the dark night, as is perhaps more appropriate when describing
Lynch
's murky visions.
certainly don't disappoint when it comes to any anticipated weirdness listeners may expect. Even by these long-standing collaborators' standards, their self-titled debut is pretty out there. Loosely taking the form of madly obscure jazz experiments, the tracks were created with
Badalamenti
and additional jazz musicians interpreting
's strange, imagined scenes. Largely, the compositions are true to their original form, save some supplementary guitar parts -- courtesy of
-- on "One Dog Bark," and new vocals on "Jack Paints It Red," which are as creepy as one might hope. Two tracks on the record may well be familiar to hardcore fans, as both "A Real Indication" and "The Black Dog Runs at Night" appeared on the 1992 soundtrack to
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
. Reportedly,
was apprehensive about
taking the vocals on the former track lest he embarrass himself. The resultant speak-sing beatnik-esque delivery lends the track an out-of-time hard-boiled atmosphere that ultimately delighted the director. And
achieves an impressive, intimidating prowl with the buckled bass solo, while the cool jazz motif "One Dog Bark" is rendered off-center by the guitar shredding in the background. Overall,
feels like being jettisoned into the outer reaches of
's no doubt brilliant, but nevertheless manifestly eccentric mind. As such,
and
aficionados will no doubt revel in its many strange charms, but perhaps above all, they'll appreciate the sound of two old friends having a great deal of mischievous fun. ~ Bekki Bemrose