Johnny Jewel: Windswept (180g, Colored Vinyl) Vinyl LP Johnny Jewel

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 of Jewel‘s Digital Rain album (“Missing Pages,” “Strobe Lights”). You’ll recognize the title track as the theme for Twin Peaks’ 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 180g cherry pie colored vinyl, housed in deluxe gatefold with printed inner sleeve (not sure who the cover star is exactly, but peek inside the gatefold and you’ll get to know her quite intimately). Recommended.

• ‘cherry pie’ colored vinyl
• 180g vinyl pressing
• gatefold sleeve
• printed inner sleeve
• limited edition
• music label: Italians Do It Better 2018

reviewed by carparts, bottles & cutlery 07/2018