Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 28
  2. Negative: 1 out of 28
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  1. Jul 16, 2013
    82
    Submitting yourself to its hazy beauty may prove challenging for some, but for those willing to explore these unsteady climes, the journey will provide countless delights for the senses.
  2. Jul 16, 2013
    80
    It’s a vastly superior record, drawing you in with its electronic, murky ambience and the impression that these songs are coming to you from a singer submerged in water.
  3. Jul 12, 2013
    80
    This whole album feels less of an art stunt and more of a well-executed idea.
  4. Jul 12, 2013
    80
    A thoroughly decent album from start to finish.
  5. 75
    Despite it being a visionary work from an artist seldom seen nowadays, The Big Dream is more cohesive, more coherent but all the less fearless because of it.
  6. Jul 26, 2013
    74
    The Big Dream, like so much of his output, seems gloriously unbothered by chronology or even sense of place.
  7. Aug 16, 2013
    70
    It’s more of an unconscious escape hatch that Lynch has constructed with intangible aural elements--a fantasy place that he allows us to walk around in for a while until we are forced back into the realm of the painfully awake.
  8. Jul 24, 2013
    70
    At the very least, the album should convince diehard Lynch fans that the director’s self-imposed, semi-retirement from filmmaking is bearing some very interesting artistic fruit indeed.
  9. 70
    There’s enough musical ambition, heartbreak and menace on The Big Dream to keep the Lynch nerds absorbed.
  10. Jul 16, 2013
    70
    More tightly structured and confident than 2011’s ‘Crazy Clown Time in terms of narrative, there’s further clarity in the unmistakable voice, which though heavily filtered feels much closer to his own.
  11. Jul 15, 2013
    70
    Even if his take on the blues is far from straightforward, this might be the most accessible set of songs associated with Lynch to date. In its own hypnotic way, The Big Dream honors the blues' lust for life and its lonely heart.
  12. Jul 12, 2013
    70
    It continues one of the most singular artistic visions of modern times and while it may not push it any further it’s often so damn charming as to make you forget about all that and just drift away into Lynch’s meditative world, in wrong love with the weird.
  13. Jul 12, 2013
    70
    An intriguing album befitting of a fascinating man.
  14. Jul 16, 2013
    67
    Over the course of the record’s 12 tracks, Lynch settles into an electro-blues groove as comfortable and consistent as he’s likely to get as a musician.
  15. Jul 15, 2013
    63
    The main weakness is the same one found on Crazy Clown Time: the songs. As songs, they don’t do much or say much.
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Negative: 2 out of 15
  1. Jul 17, 2013
    7
    The celebrated film director of visual spectacles such as Inland Empire, Eraserhead, and the TV show Twin Peaks comes out with yet anotherThe celebrated film director of visual spectacles such as Inland Empire, Eraserhead, and the TV show Twin Peaks comes out with yet another mediocre album. The sophomore album The Big Dream shares a very similar feeling as Crazy Clown Time did in 2011. With the nasally, robotic voice of David Lynch, backed by echoing guitars, you know you're in a very specific place.

    Every song mimics the other, making sure there is enough echoing, rattling, and reverberation. David Lynch is no stranger to music. With many collaborations with artists over the years and the input in most of his own films, Lynch has a good idea of what he's doing. It's just a shame that he uses the same techniques over and over again for 12 songs. The hypnotic opener "The Big Dream" captivates the audience and pulls them into a Lynch-ian world. As soon as "Star Dream Girl" kicks in, the audience is quickly turned full circle in a different direction. A faster paced, yet still bluesy sounding song is the one outsider of the album. The rest of the album really flowed together as one song for me. There was no song that jumped out at me and made me absolutely love it. This is the type of music that is perfect for a movie.

    It's background music. It has a very progressive and repetitive sound. Although it taps into a generally unknown side of music, it does not impress as much as it could. The album lacks a certain appeal. What could have been a very strong, diverse album has become 12 songs of repetitive film music. Don't get me wrong, I adore David Lynch. His films are fantastic. And yes, he has some phenomenal songs in the past like "Ghost of Love", "Good Day Today", and "So Glad", but this second album has nothing special.
    Full Review »
  2. Aug 8, 2013
    2
    David Lynch does music? Oh, that got me pretty excited. Then I heard him singing. Sorry, couldn't really pay much attention to the musicDavid Lynch does music? Oh, that got me pretty excited. Then I heard him singing. Sorry, couldn't really pay much attention to the music itself with the sound that I can't even call a voice torturing my ears. Full Review »