RIP Julee Cruise

Terrible news to wake up to this morning, as singer and artist Julee Cruise has passed away.  Her dreamy and ghostly vocals provided a sonic tapestry for "Twin Peaks," and it's an aesthetic (and sometime anesthetic) i come back to over and over again.  Listen to "The World Spins" below.  RIP Julee Cruise.

Daily Jam - The World Spins

Holidays can be tense.  So here's a dreamy Julee Cruise track to calm all the nerves.  Listen to "The World Spins" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam (Covers Week) - Falling

Continuing our week of covers with The Wedding Present's excellent rendition of Julee Cruise's "Falling," giving the dreampop staple some lo-fi alt-rock oomph.  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Mysteries of Love

The story goes that when David Lynch was making "Blue Velvet," he tried to get the rights to This Mortal Coil's version of "Song to the Siren," a tune originally penned by Tim Buckley, to use in his film.  He couldn't get them.  So instead, he and Angelo Badalamenti wrote "Mysteries of Love" and recruited Julee Cruise to provide the dreamy, ghostly vocals.  And i'm pretty glad it all worked out that way.  Here's "Mysteries of Love," our Daily Jam.

Julee Cruise

In August, the fine people over at Sacred Bones are releasing Julee Cruise's 1993 album "The Voice of Love" for the first time on vinyl.  That in and of itself is excellent news, but there's more.  The label is also releasing a 12"  called "Three Demos" that features, you guessed it, three demos of songs that eventually ended up on "Twin Peaks."  Listen to the demo version of "Floating" below and pre-order the records here.

Twin Peaks

Over two years in the making, the good folks at Mondo/Death Waltz finally unveil their vinyl reissue of Angelo Badalamenti's score for David Lynch's "Twin Peaks."  This is one of the quintessential soundtracks out there, and wholly worth your time and cash.  Get it here and listen to the "Twin Peaks Theme" below.

Julee Cruise and King Dude

Of all the things i expected to come across today, new music from Julee Cruise certainly wasn't on that list.  Best known for her haunting vocal contributions to the soundtrack for David Lynch's "Twin Peaks," Cruise carries a smoky mystique about her that has been highly influential to artists of a similar ilk for the last 25 years.  On the new 7" split with dark folk and rockabilly troubadour King Dude, aptly titled "Julee Cruise and King Dude Sing Each Other's Songs For You," Cruise sings the King Dude penned "Animal" on the A-side, while he takes on "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart" from Cruise's 1989 album "Floating into the Night" on the reverse.  The duo feel perfectly and heavenly aligned to make music together, and i hope this is just the beginning of a Julee Cruise resurgence.  I'd also be down with King Dude supplying some music for any future David Lynch project.  Pre-order the record (in one of four colors) from Not Just Religious Music, and listen to both tracks below.

Xiu Xiu - Into The Night

A week or two ago, i posted experimental band Xiu Xiu's cover of Julee Cruise's "Falling" from their upcoming "Twin Peaks" tribute/reinterpretation album.  Here's another cut from the record, which is definitely on my must-obtain list for Record Store Day this Saturday, and the video for the band's take on "Into The Night."

Xiu Xiu covers the music from Twin Peaks

Been a little busy lately with work and kids and SXSW, i barely just now had a chance to check out the slate of releases coming out on Record Store Day.  There's some great stuff set to come out, but if experimental band Xiu Xiu's "Twin Peaks" cover album isn't at the top of your list, then i don't know you anymore.  Listen to the dramatic and breathtaking cover of "Falling" below, and be sure to grab the record next month courtesy of Polyvinyl.

The Next Peak Vol. 1

So, this is pretty awesome.  An Austin art collective called Retro Promenade put together a synthesizer tribute to the music from "Twin Peaks," and with a veritable "Twin Peaks" fever going on right now, thanks to the upcoming third season, it's just what everyone needs.  Also, on the contributors did a fantastic job.  Take a listen to The Astronaut Arcade covering Julee Cruise's "Falling," featuring project organizer Lucy Black on vocals below.  Then go here to download and grab a bunch of other goodies.