Thomas Truax - Songs From the Films of David Lynch

‘Lynchian’ has for too long been bandied around as a synonym for ‘surreal’, when it really fits only the truly unsettling and perplexingly brilliant. Luckily, anti-folkster Thomas Truax is both these things, and appropriately these covers wouldn’t sound out of place soundtracking a mental breakdown. Some stick closely to the originals (a haunting rendition of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game), others adjust the details but keep the arch-mood intact (Beck’s Black Tambourine drops some of the strut but keeps the voodoo vibe), while others still mutate into the kind of terrifying sounds you pray won’t creep onto your iPod shuffle as you drift off to sleep - his rendition of In Heaven is more frightening than a screaming Black Francis and a monstrous, miniature radiator lady combined. Testament to both the quality of Lynch’s soundtracks and Truax’s talents, this might induce occasional dreams of backwards-speaking dwarves, but a little insanity never hurt anyone.