Our home is one filled with love for Jon Everist, as mentioned in my previous Vinyl Fantasies article (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/05/video-game-vinyl-britt-recommends.html) I was quite taken by his Shadowrun: Hong Kong soundtrack and even now, almost nine months on, we listen to it pretty regularly.
Whilst this game was also created by Harebrained Schemes – those heroes behind the resurgence of the Shadowrun franchise - it’s the first soundtrack that I’ve listened to from Jon Everist outside of the Shadowrun series and so I was intrigued as to how his approach would differ.
I came into this review hot on the heels of the recent Spider-Man (2018) soundtrack and so rousing, cinematic orchestral scores were whirling in my head and, whilst Jon has stated that for this soundtrack he was “approaching the score as if it were for a film or TV series”, I was acutely aware that – in the case of Shadowrun: Hong Kong – it was the melding of synths and beats weaving amongst orchestral instrumentation and stripped-back stringed instruments that made that soundtrack such a trouser-devouring monster. Would a more filmic approach dilute that ‘Everist Magic’?
No, no it wouldn’t.
Presented on a matte gatefold sleeve containing double 180g black and white ‘ink spot’ vinyl ensconced safely in anti-static sleeves (thank you, thank you thank you, Black Screen Records), the cover art – by Joel DuQue - features a fallen, rusted mech covered in graffiti and natural debris, with two deer in the foreground looking out of the frame towards the viewer. In the distance, across a grassy plain is a faint city. The whole image has a watercolour vibe and the colouring used -mostly naturally occurring shades – seems peaceful and calm, as if whatever caused the destruction of this mech is a distant memory. The rear of the cover features the track list – including legnths – in a continuation of the cover image, mainly obscured my a darkened tree in the foreground, which is handy as it means the track listing is extremely easy to read.
This design style continues on the inner cover, which has a faint building at the top of the area but is mostly shaded foliage, the main focal point being a torn, faded banner gently blowing in the wind – echoing the emotions stirred by the cover. Also on the inner cover are the credits and some words from BattleTech game director Mike McCain and of course, composer Jon Everist.
Side A:
For All Mankind (Opening Cinematic)
A grand and yet melancholic opening, featuring gentle choral use before flute and quickly plucked strings lead up to tribal percussion. Shortly, all of these elements are raised by violin work that build to a crescendo, a hell of a scene-setter, fitting in a lot of details and emotion in under two minutes.
Restoration (Start Menu)
Bringing things down a notch, gently plucked, descending guitar work lulls you into thinking that this could be a delicate and more minimalist piece before the strings again reach through and pull the track upwards, very evocative of flight, this track manages to feel powerful without resorting to bombasticism.
Umbra
There’s a single, recurring, held string note in this track that reminded me of the music used in the early episodes of Red Dwarf, which was a pleasant bonus. That aside, this is a string-driven piece that drifts between peace but teases the listener by pinchingly reaching for a sense of heroic grandeur. However - it always dips back down, focusing more on the mellow than the epic. At this point in the album, it dawned on me how clever Jon Everist is with his writing, you get a sense of the direction of the track but it shifts gears on you in a very subtle way that never feels jarring, it keeps you interested in each movement. Good.
Mercenary Blues
Strings combine with woodwind instruments here to create a sense of keening. These first tracks all feel like they are setting the scene for album and slip into each other pleasantly. Thus far, it feels like a great album to write or work to as it engages without being demanding. The most ‘straight’ song so far, this is a mood-setter.
Coronation Day
Continuing the atmosphere set by the earlier tracks, this one features an aural conversation between violin and cello, raising the mood slightly but still with a dreamy sensibility running throughout.
Past as Prologue FT. Emily Ridgway
Ominous drumbeats and low synth notes open this one, the first main hint of electronica. Emily Ridgway’s vocal performance combined with the orchestration here calls to mind something akin to a modern Assassin’s Creed or Witcher 3 track. The humming, delicate synth here combined with ethereal vocals feels timeless. Both ancient and futuristic at once, it’s quite cool stuff and a solid end to the first side.
Side B:
The Great Betrayal
This track is the point in the album at which there is what the Persians used to describe as a ‘change of tone’. Thudding, reverb-laden drums and stabs of orchestration combined with a choir focusing on lower notes, this very much signals unease. Violins criss-cross the track and descending horns add to the growing darkness. This is the second-longest track on the entire record, which gives it plenty of time to put a stamp on the album. I can imagine this playing over some tactical combat as the grey matter is teased into action.
Remember Me
Instantly bringing things back following the relatively raucous ‘The Great Betrayal’, this track is very much piano and violin, teasing a return to more mellow ground.
March on Axylus
Here she is, my favourite track. When I first heard this, I got goosebumps…and still do! Beginning with a continuation of the instrumentation used in ‘Remember Me’, the violin and piano ease into this song, which seems almost genetically designed to appeal to me. Soon, marching snare is added to the mix and then…only then do we get treated to the best synth riff in recent memory (even ROYGBIV by Boards of Canada gets a run for its money). It’s absolutely glorious, a ripping, wandering riff that could quite frankly go on for the duration of an entire side of a record and I wouldn’t blink an eyelid. Jon Everist – if you read this and you have a version of this song that goes on for forty years, please send it to me. March on Axylus is quintessential Everist, that beautiful blend of aching melodies, rousing orchestral work with a forward-thinking mindset on modern synth-work and instrumentation, as is hinted in ‘Past as Prologue’, it feels like two sonic eras combining.
The Argo
A grand track that almost feels like an epilogue to March on Axylus – to the point that I actually thought it was part of the same song when I first heard it! This feels much more classic and celebratory, especially as the songs reaches the final stages.
I Didn’t Know
A shorter song on the album with the string section firmly in the driving seat, this one has echoes of betrayal running throughout but opens up into more of a sense of release as it progresses.
Follow the Money
The most electronically beat-driven track yet, breakbeat drums kick this off, shortly joined by violins and a low synth note that adds weight to the song. I loved the blend of aching violin against a groovy, fast-paced beat with atmospherics adding colour. This is an awesome little number that I could quite happily listen to for an extended period of time, almost hypnotic.
Side C:
Wolf at the Door
Shimmering violins and yawning cello propel this track as an almost distant ‘heartbeat-like’ bass drum underpins it. It’s not long before snappy drum-work kicks in with a buzzy synth line matching the violin throughout.
Mech Bay Cantata
A moody, percussive piece that features a return of that low choral sound and airy synth. It’s a heady blend and I loved the weighty snare-drum, it feels like a mech stomping forwards. Again, without being bombastic and in keeping with the album flavour. There are some gorgeous synth flourishes that drop in and out of this one as well, another stand-out track for me, especially in terms of pure atmosphere.
Meat is Cheap
The longest track on the album, an almost seven-minute monster! Beginning casually enough, the track soon morphs into a lumbering, percussion-heavy behemoth with horn section ‘stomps’ booming from the speakers. It then again changes tact via squealing violins to a more synth-beat driven angle, still with that relentless percussion pounding along. This almost feels cyberpunk in some moments before becoming very cinematic, the moment in a film where the villain reveals his grand plan to the restrained hero, gloriously evocative.
For the Reach
Beginning with a surge of celebration, this marks a return to a more traditional orchestral piece. Swift violin runs, punches of horns and trumpet leading to a saucy violin section with some tastily unexpected notes, subtly shifting the mood. A cello takes over at the midway mark over galloping violin and tom-work on the drums. Following this, the music rises to a fitting crescendo to end this side of the record.
Side D
The Vast Expanse
Another melding of bubbling synth and keening strings, a choir softly drops in and out of this gentle track. I am a fan of the low bass note that reverberates throughout, subtly.
A Welcome Respite
Starting as very much a continuation of the previous track, even the titles fit together as the sensation of openness and a moment of peace very much bleed through the soundscape. The same instrumentation is used, down to the rumbling bass note that underpins the song. These songs feel like they could be combined into one single 9-minute track. The gentle touches of nylon-strung guitar that feature here towards the end of the piece are really saucy and add to a sense of loneliness.
First Strike
As the title suggests, this shifts the mood of the album back to more unsettled territory, a climbing, discordant intro gives way to a synth scape that very much separates it from the previous tracks. Embracing the futuristic side of things, I enjoyed how the violin ‘takes over’ the mantle of the synth riff at the halfway point, bringing it back to more traditional instrumentation before the drums return and the final section blends both worlds. Some unexpected glitched drums fade this out, a nice bonus as I’m a fan of that effect when used well, as it is here.
Flux
A softer intro gives way to a solid 4/4 beat that the violins jab and weave around, as horns sound ominously in the background, giving a sense of scale to the track.
Vox Nihili
Another personal highlight, I’m a sucker for scattered percussion which holds melody and that very much forms the backbone of this track - with synths and choir keeping the drum work company. A short track penultimate, but a tasty one.
Who Will Watch the Watchers
The finale is a brief one at just over a minute in length. It feels like an epilogue, possibly as the credits roll - with instrumentation eschewed in favour of a layered choir to see the album out.
The use of heavier orchestration and choir vocals feel a newer addition to Jon Everist’s style and certainly fit the more filmic soundscape that he was quoted as going for.
My personal tastes lean slightly away from hugely cinematic soundtracks as I can find them to be slightly generic on occasion but the twist here is that Everist doesn’t overuse the orchestra purely because he has access to one, if that makes sense.
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