Johnny Jewel’s been letting out a steady stream of soundtracks and solo records in the years since the release of Chromatics’ Kill For Love, each containing a handful of great tracks but mostly just aggravating for their sheer defiance of the completion of new Chromatics and Glass Candy albums. Windswept is the prized pony of these solo releases, distilling the elements that made moments of The Other Side Of Midnight, Lost River and Double Exposure so alluring. Every track here is a movie; carefully layered with meticulous attention to detail and an unforgettable melody. There’s no “In The City” or “Beatific”; Windswept offers up the best of Italians Do It Better's post-Twin Peaks sound, from tender dreampop (“Slow Dreams”) to woozy vibraphone reveries (“The Crimson Kiss,” “Motel”), haunted jazz (“Stardust,” “The Flame”) and the neo-Blade Runner vibes previously explored on Johnny Jewel's Digital Rain album (“Missing Pages,” “Strobe Lights”). You’ll recognize the title track as the theme for Twin Peaks: The Return's slow-moving antihero Dougie Jones, which sounds like it was tailor-made for Lynch’s reboot (Jewel swears he wrote it before the new series was announced). IDIB claim that there are more tracks from Windswept tucked away in the series, but we’re simply not ready to rewatch all 18 hours of it to confirm that just yet. Pressed on red vinyl, housed in deluxe gatefold with printed inner sleeve, recommended.

• red colored vinyl
• housed in gatefold jacket w/ printed inner sleeve
• limited edition
• original release year: 2017
• music label: Italians Do It Better 2024

reviewed by carparts, bottles & cutlery 07/2018