20 TV shows with the best soundtracks and music
By Sundi Rose
Twin Peaks: The Return
A show as esoteric and dreamy as David Lynch’s Twin Peaks reboot creates a universe unto itself. Every set, every character, every line of dialogue has to be painstakingly considered to keep the ethereal nature of the show intact. If you ask me, the show works overtime at maintaining its pristine boundaries between its world and ours.
For some, the show might be a little too obtuse, as Lynch is nothing if not an auteur. But there is one thing critics and fans alike can find to love: the music. Every installment of the third season ends with bands taking the stage at a fictional bar in the the deceptively quiet town of Twin Peaks.
The Bang Bang Bar has seen the likes of Eddie Vedder, Nine Inch Nails and Moby all assuming a character, singing plaintive, narrative-appropriate songs. Aside from the big names Lynch recruited to round out each episode, he also enlisted an eclectic, interesting mix of lesser-known indie bands that, if you ask me, steal the show.
One such band, the Chromatics, a personal favorite of David Lynch, commands the ear whenever they feature with their surreal guitar and high-flying lyrics. It’s a match made in “weird art” heaven.
Lynch also features his son in a band called Trouble that offers a punky-blues ending to the fifth episode, but you also might recognize Zhang Hungtai of Dirty Beaches / Last Lizard, and long-time Lynch sound engineer Dean Hurley.