ReView: Steven Alexander Ryan & Justin McGrath – High Level: Soundtrack for the Graphic Novel0

Steven Alexander Ryan & Justin McGrath
Album: High Level: Soundtrack for the Graphic Novel
Category: Electronic / Ambient / Soundtrack
Label: Federal Prisoner
Release Date: 2020-08-21

With this year’s release of the High Level graphic novel, acclaimed artist Rob Sheridan introduced audiences to his own vision of a post-post-apocalyptic cyberpunk future, in which the remnants of human society are overshadowed by the titular metropolis where the wealthy and powerful have hidden themselves. Although comic book soundtracks are not a new phenomenon, they do present the unique challenge of both providing an audio accompaniment to while also filling in the gaps and providing a greater feeling of movement to the otherwise static illustrated images; taking up that challenge with this album are musicians Steven Alexander Ryan and Justin McGrath, whose shared history with Sheridan and their associations with Nine Inch Nails, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Puscifer, and The Black Queen perhaps provided them with the most intimate possible insight into the artist’s concepts.

Throughout the High Level soundtrack, the pair showcase a series of soundscapes that are as imaginative and as hallucinatory as Sheridan’s visuals, their command of fluid analog textures and compelling harmonic passages recalling the best synthesizer scores of the ‘70s and ‘80s when composers like Wendy Carlos, Isao Tomita, and even John Carpenter were breaking down the barriers between modern technology and classical orchestras. With little-to-no break between the 41 tracks, individual moments become anchors for the ears, such as in the thematic opening of “Benny’s Bar,” a brief rhythmic sojourn of atmospheric synthwave with crystalline guitar strums and trickling electronic arpeggios deliver the rush of sensation one feels when entering a crowded room. Similarly, the pulsating bass lines and noisy klaxons of “Octobot” instill an unyielding tension of what could be a chase sequence, the guttural chugs of distorted guitar on “High Priest” evoke a sense of menace and doom, like coming face-to-face with a personification of pure evil, and the cold ambience of “Sunken Lands” conjures images of being submerged in the murky depths of a dark ocean, the bubbly flutters of seemingly random effects echoing seemingly without end to encompass the listener in sound. Some tracks like “Blue Rose,” “Pleasure Island,” “Warehouse District,” “Chosen One,” and “Southern Checkpoint” are notable for their percussive and rhythmic qualities to keep things in a state of motion, making them ripe for dance floor remixing, while others like “Daytime Faire,” “Envy,” and “All Hail the Red King” feature melodic phrases that are almost lyrical, as if to suggest the possibility of vocals that never appear.

Without reading the graphic novel or having access to its optical presentation, it’s almost difficult to judge the record on its effectiveness as an auditory companion… almost, for when listening to what Ryan and McGrath have crafted on High Level, one is not only transported to another plain of existence within the mind, but the urge to seek out and explore Sheridan’s book becomes all the stronger.
 
Track list:

1. Somewhere Else (Light)
2. Onida
3. Benny’s Bar
4. Ordell Faire
5. Shower and a Drink
6. Warehouse District
7. High Priest
8. Welcome to the War
9. A Wide Berth
10. Artifacts
11. _does_ezra_dream
12. Daytime Faire
13. Keep Warm
14. The Road to Hell
15. FAMINE_DROUGHT_WAR_
16. Outlands
17. Nibi Outpost
18. Supplies
19. Octobot
20. Unjust Business
21. Life Support
22. Forever in the Field of Dreams
23. Sunken Lands
24. Pleasure Island
25. The Room
26. Blue Rose
27. Nord on a Real Train
28. The Auction
29. Sanctuary
30. Black Helix Outpost
31. Haven
32. Chosen One
33. Low Level
34. Envy
35. All Hail the Red King
36. Somewhere Else (Dark)
37. Southern Checkpoint
38. Bleed Out
39. Her Name Was Minnow
40. Welcome Back
41. Revenge (Part 2)

 
Steven Alexander Ryan
Website, SoundCloud, Bandcamp (with Justin McGrath)
Polyfuse/Justin McGrath
Website, Twitter, Bandcamp
Federal Prisoner
Website, Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp, YouTube
High Level
Website, Facebook, Twitter
Rob Sheridan
Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
DC/Vertigo Comics
Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
 
Ilker Yücel (Ilker81x)