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The Big Dream - Wikipedia

The Big Dream

The Big Dream is the third studio album by the American
The Big Dream
film director and musician David Lynch, released on July 10,
2013. It was released on Sacred Bones Records in the United
States and Sunday Best in Europe. Consisting of 12  "modern
blues" songs, The Big Dream was recorded and produced by
Lynch with his frequent musical collaborator Dean Hurley at
Lynch's own Asymmetrical Studio in Los Angeles, California
during 2012.

Two singles were released from The Big Dream; "I'm Waiting
Here", a collaboration with the Swedish singer-songwriter
Lykke Li, was released as the album's lead single and the
double A-side single "Are You Sure"/"Star Dream Girl"
followed as the album's second single. Both singles were part
of an enigmatic promotional campaign conceived by Lynch for Studio album by David Lynch
The Big Dream, which included cryptic video uploads on Released July 10, 2013
various social media websites, including YouTube and Vine.
Recorded 2012 at Asymmetrical
Upon its release The Big Dream received warm reviews and
Studio in Los Angeles,
was a moderate commercial success, placing in a number of
international record charts. California
Genre Avant-rock[1] · blues[1][2]
Composition · electronica[3] · dream
pop[4]
The Big Dream consists of eleven original songs composed by Length 50:14
David Lynch and producer Dean Hurley, as well as a Bob Label Sacred Bones · Sunday
Dylan cover.[5] In an interview with Billboard Lynch discussed Best
the songwriting process of The Big Dream, as well as the
composition of the album. Describing the songwriting process, Producer Dean Hurley · David
Lynch said that "sometimes the lyrics come first but mostly Lynch
the music is talking to you about how it wants to be, and then David Lynch chronology
the lyrics are born out of that." He added that most of the
songs were "based on the blues and start with a jam" between Crazy The Big The Big
himself and Hurley. Lynch further explained that the songs Clown Time Dream Dream
are "tighter" than those on his debut studio album, Crazy (2011) (2013) Remix EP
Clown Time (2011), due to increased confidence in his musical (2013)
abilities. Regarding the Bob Dylan cover "The Ballad of Hollis
Brown", Lynch said it is "not really a cover of Bob Dylan as Singles from The Big Dream
much as it is a cover of a Nina Simone cover of Bob Dylan" and
noted that the song was "important for the sequence" of the 1. "I'm Waiting Here"
album."[6] Released: June 3, 2013
2. "Are You Sure"/"Star Dream Girl"

Release Released: June 24, 2013

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The Big Dream was released on July 10, 2013  on Beatink

Records in Japan,[7] July 15 on Sunday Best in Europe and on
INGRID in Sweden,[8] and July 16 on Sacred Bones Records in
the United States.[5] It was released on CD, double LP and
made available as a digital download. TBD716, an enigmatic
43-second trailer for The Big Dream, was uploaded to David
Lynch's YouTube channel on May 31, 2013—four days prior to
the album's official announcement—and a six-second looped
clip of the trailer was later uploaded to Lynch's personal Vine
account.[9]

In further promotion of the album, two singles were released.

"I'm Waiting Here", an iTunes bonus track featuring Swedish
singer-songwriter Lykke Li, was released as The Big Dream 's
lead single on June 3, 2013[10] and the double A-side single,
Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li "Are You Sure"/"Star Dream Girl", was released on June 24.[11]
(pictured in 2011) was a guest A limited edition 7" version of "I'm Waiting Here", featuring
musician on The Big Dream,
hand-inscribed etchings by Lynch, was made available with
performing lead vocals on "I'm
double LP editions of the album.[5]
Waiting Here".
The Big Dream was a moderate commercial success. In the
United States' Billboard charts the album peaked at number
5  on the Heatseekers Albums chart, number 40  on the Independent Albums chart and number
10 on the Tastemaker Albums chart.[12] The album entered the UK Independent Albums Chart at
number 20  and the UK Independent Album Breakers Chart at number 2. It charted elsewhere
internationally, including the Belgian Albums Chart in both Flanders and Wallonia, France,
Germany, Japan and Switzerland.

Reception
Upon its release The Big Dream received generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100  to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 64, based on 28 reviews indicating "generally favourable reviews".[13] AllMusic's Heather
Phares rated the album three and a half out of five stars and noted how it "pushes the blues'
boundaries", adding it "uses elements of the genre as a jumping-off point for his experiments" and
"honors the blues' lust for life and its lonely heart."[14] Writing for the Boston Globe, James Reed
wrote positively of The Big Dream and described it as "a modern blues as filtered through Lynch's
warped mind, where life unfolds in the shadows in slow motion."[2] Consequence of Sound
reviewer Paula Mejia referred to the album as "a series of vignettes, character-driven narratives
rather than a revolution around a certain thematic concept" and said that "the frustrations within
The Big Dream lie in the pauses, which require a certain degree of patience", awarding the album
three out of five stars.[15] Matthew Slaughter of Drowned in Sound rated the album seven out of
ten, said it is "as warped and wondrous a vision as Lynch has produced in recent times, teeming
with his usual cast of naïve dreamers, warped killers and femme fatales", summarising it as
"brilliant, inconsistent, pleasing [and] frustrating."[16]

Writing for The Guardian, Paul MacInnes rated The Big Dream four of five stars and drew
comparisons to Lynch's films, stating "a fusion of blues and early rock'n'roll styles with electronic
production techniques, you are dragged into an American wilderness where the land is parched,
the sky crackles with electricity, and there's a pair of glowing red eyes watching you from a
distance."[17] musicOMH writer Aaron Payne described the album as "a thoroughly decent album
from start to finish", noted that "I'm Waiting Here" is "near-perfect addition" to the album, and
awarded it four out of five stars.[18] NME's Phil Hebblethwaite noted how The Big Dream 's
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"formula", which consists of "straightforward

tracks", "a massive left turn into Weird Town" Professional ratings
after the album's midpoint and "a sweet one- Aggregate scores
two" towards the end of it. Hebblethwaite rated
Source Rating
the album seven out of ten.[19] In a mixed two
and a half star review for Slant Magazine, Jesse Metacritic 64/100[13]
Cataldo wrote that despite it being
Review scores
"undoubtedly well recorded, with a sustained
mood and some nice sonic touches", the album Source Rating
"still has a thin, larky feel, briefly amusing, [14]
AllMusic
consistently strange, but rarely resonant."[22]
Boston Globe Positive[2]
Paste's Robert Ham praised the album and
Consequence of Sound [15]
wrote: "What the world is privy to now with The
Big Dream is Lynch’s version of the blues. Not Drowned in Sound 7/10[16]
just the musical style, but also a thrilling sound
The Guardian [17]
that encompasses every shade of its
representative color. There's the midnight blue musicOMH [18]
of slow, moody tracks [...] the strange denim
tones [...] and a strange bright splash of NME 7/10[19]
periwinkle to close out the album." [20] Mark
Paste 8.2/10[20]
Richardson of Pitchfork Media was more
critical, noting that the album had "the same Pitchfork 6.3/10[21]
weaknesses and strengths" as his debut album. [22]
Richardson added that Lynch "takes musical Slant Magazine
elements from his youth—the sock-hop ballads
of Bobby Vinton, the gnarled guitar instruments of Link Wray, both of which are common in his
films—and gives them a modern but still homemade sheen, topping the reverb-heavy dreaminess
of the music with half-sung lyrics in Lynch’s distinctively nasally register."[21]

Track listing
All tracks are written by David Lynch and Dean Hurley unless otherwise noted.

No. Title Writer(s) Length

1. "The Big Dream"   4:07
2. "Star Dream Girl"   3:27
3. "Last Call"   3:48
4. "Cold Wind Blowin'"   3:49
5. "The Ballad of Hollis Brown" Bob Dylan 5:12
6. "Wishing Well"   3:39
7. "Say It"   3:58
8. "We Rolled Together"   4:00
9. "Sun Can't Be Seen No More"   4:40
10. "I Want You"   3:47
11. "The Line It Curves"   6:01
12. "Are You Sure"   3:46
Total length: 50:14
iTunes bonus track[23] and LP bonus 7"[5]
No. Title Writer(s) Length
13. "I'm Waiting Here" (featuring Lykke Li) Lykke Li, Dean Hurley 5:02
Total length: 55:16
Japanese CD bonus track[7]
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No. Title Length

13. "And Light Shines" 3:41
Total length: 53:55

Personnel
All personnel credits adapted from The Big Dream 's liner notes.[24]

Performers

David Lynch – vocals, guitar, synthesizer, percussion

Dean Hurley – guitar, synthesizer, organ, bass, drums, programming

Guest musicians

Riley Lynch – guitar (9)

Lykke Li – vocals (13)

Technical personnel

David Lynch – production (13), mixing, arrangement

Dean Hurley – production (1–12), engineering, mixing, arrangement
Brian Lucey – mastering

Design personnel

David Lynch – design

David Correll – layout

Chart positions
Peak
Chart (2013)
position

Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[25] 75

Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[26] 139

French SNEP Albums Chart[27] 91

German Albums Chart[28] 61

Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[29] 104

Swiss Hitparade Albums Chart[30] 87

UK Independent Albums Chart[31] 20

UK Independent Album Breakers Chart[32] 2

U.S. Billboard Heatseekers Albums[33] 5

U.S. Billboard Independent Albums[12] 40

U.S. Billboard Tastemaker Albums[34] 10

Release history
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Region Date Format(s) Label Distributor Catalogue

Japan[7] July 10, 2013 Beatink BRC-384

Sunday Best
Europe[5] SBEST61
July 15, 2013 2×LP, CD, DD PIAS
Sweden[8] INGRID NGRD020

United States[23] July 16, 2013 Sacred Bones Bobkind SBR-109

References
1. Phares, Heather. "David Lynch Biography, Songs, & Albums" (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/d
avid-lynch-mn0000212441/biography). AllMusic. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
2. Reed, James (July 16, 2013). "Album Review: David Lynch – The Big Dream" (https://www.bos
tonglobe.com/arts/music/2013/07/15/album-review-david-lynch-the-big-dream/eIFJg35q9jPgAr
sWvQ0uCI/story.html). Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
3. Mejia, Paula (July 19, 2013). "Review: David Lynch's The Big Dream" (https://entertainment.ti
me.com/2013/07/19/like-his-films-david-lynchs-the-big-dream-is-enigmatic-and-opaque/).
Time. Time Inc. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
4. Nolan, Paul (July 24, 2013). "David Lynch: The Big Dream | Music Review | Album" (https://ww
w.hotpress.com/music/david-lynch-the-big-dream-10086684). Hot Press. Osnovina. Retrieved
January 27, 2015.
5. Minkser, Evan (June 3, 2013). "David Lynch Announces New Album, The Big Dream, Shares
Track Featuring Lykke Li | News" (https://pitchfork.com/news/50983-david-lynch-announces-ne
w-album-the-big-dream-shares-track-featuring-lykke-li). Pitchfork. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
6. Graff, Gerry (June 3, 2013). "David Lynch Talk Second Album: The Big Dream" (https://www.bil
lboard.com/articles/news/1565619/david-lynch-talks-second-album-the-big-dream). Billboard.
Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
7. "Sunday Best / David Lynch – The Big Dream ::" (http://www.beatink.com/Labels/Sunday-Best/
David-Lynch/BRC-384) (in Japanese). Beatink. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
8. "David Lynch – The Big Dream" (http://shop.ingrd.com/en/david-lynch/david-lynch-the-big-drea
m-cd-download-voucher-feat-lykke-li). INGRID. Ingrid & Drella. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
9. "Video of the day: David Lynch's TBD716" (http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/video-of-the-day-d
avid-lynchs-tbd716). Notebook. MUBI. May 31, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
10. Breihan, Tom (June 3, 2013). "David Lynch – "I'm Waiting Here" (Feat. Lykke Li)" (https://www.
stereogum.com/1370752/david-lynch-im-waiting-here-feat-lykke-li/mp3s). Stereogum. Spin
Media. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
11. "David Lynch Unveils First Single "Are You Sure" Off New Album" (http://www.contactmusic.co
m/press/david-lynch-unveils-first-single-are-you-sure-off-new-album-the-big-dream-released-jul
y-15th-2013). Contactmusic.com. June 24, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
12. "The Big Dream – David Lynch: Awards" (https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-big-dream-mw0
002549057/awards). AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
13. "The Big Dream – David Lynch: Reviews" (https://www.metacritic.com/music/the-big-dream/da
vid-lynch). Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
14. Phares, Heather. "The Big Dream – David Lynch: Songs, Reviews, Credits and Awards" (http
s://www.allmusic.com/album/the-big-dream-mw0002549057). AllMusic. All Media Network.
Retrieved July 18, 2013.
15. Mejia, Paula (July 15, 2013). "Album Review: David Lynch – The Big Dream" (http://consequen
ceofsound.net/2013/07/album-review-david-lynch-the-big-dream). Consequence of Sound.
Retrieved July 15, 2013.

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16. Slaughter, Matthew (July 11, 2013). "David Lynch – The Big Dream / Releases" (https://web.ar
chive.org/web/20130715030557/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/17738/reviews/414661
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July 18, 2013.
18. Payne, Aaron (July 12, 2013). "David Lynch – The Big Dream | Album Reviews" (http://www.m
usicomh.com/reviews/albums/david-lynch-the-big-dream). musicOMH. Retrieved July 18,
2013.
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ww.nme.com/reviews/david-lynch/14581). NME. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
20. Ham, Robert (July 16, 2013). "David Lynch: The Big Dream :: Music Reviews" (https://www.pas
temagazine.com/articles/2013/07/david-lynch-the-big-dream.html). Paste. Wolfgang's Vault.
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ntmagazine.com/music/review/david-lynch-the-big-dream). Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 22,
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53744873). iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
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27. "David Lynch – The Big Dream" (http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=David+Lynch&tit
el=The+Big+Dream&cat=a). lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
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ynch&title=The+Big+Dream&country=de) (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved
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=The+Big+Dream&cat=a). Hitparade (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
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albums). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 27, 2013.

External links
The Big Dream (https://www.discogs.com/master/574711) at Discogs (list of releases)
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