David Lynch has dusted off the red velvet curtains from Twin Peaks' The Black Lodge for a new promo reel he directed and shot for Afghan-American singer Ariana Delawari. The promo debuted on Lynch's DLF.TV on February 2nd. Dressed in an array of Old Hollywood costumes, LA-based Delawari sings snippets of a number of songs from her debut album, Lion of Panjshir, released by Lynch's own record label. While her sound isn't quite as crooning as Rebekah del Rio's in her cover of "Crying" from Muholland Drive, Delawari's performance could easy have taken place in Club Silencio. You can check it out here
David Lynch may be a major champion of her music, having released the album and produced one of the tracksnot to mention this promo reelbut Delawari's sound and story are compelling all on their own. Born in Los Angeles just days after her parents fled the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Delawari's life and music have been shaped by living in the Diaspora. Her parents moved back to Afghanistan to help rebuild the country after the fall of the Taliban and Delawari followed suit by taking the mortal risk to record part of her album in Kabul, working with traditional Afghan musicians.
Recording Afghan-influenced pop music in that war-torn city was not only a powerful political statement, but a highly successful artistic one as well: Lion of Panjshir is an impressive debut, with songs ranging from the Janis Joplin-influenced tracks like "San Francisco" to the more Afghan sounding "Cheshme Siah Daree". While the styles may sound almost too diverse, the songs flow together beautifully, all strung along on the thread of Delawari's powerful voice. You can listen to track from the album on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/lionofpanjshir
