Hard to find but well worth hunting down, the Dead Man soundtrack is a hidden gem in a career littered with greats. Neil Young is in no short supply of quality soundtrack work, with his Journey Through the Past release a real thrill. When it came to putting together music for a rare, modern Western film, Young pushes so much further than the project called for. He blurs the grunge tone he became the godfather of with a fundamental understanding of how music can be used to show the thrill of travel and the unknown. Much of the Dead Man soundtrack is instrumental brilliance. From a seething opener which sets the scene just as well as anything Jim Jarmusch put on screen to softer touches which open the Dead Man soundtrack up wonderfully. A deeper, heartfelt urgency can be found on the Dead Man soundtrack. Young is given plenty of time to play around and it means the wail of his crushing, inspired guitar solos are given the silence around them to cement their impact.
That makes all the difference. Guitar Solo, No. 1 is a dark and moody occasion, and considering there are six of these solos within, you can gauge whether the soundtrack is for you off this first track. It should be for you; it should be for anyone who has any interest in Young as a musician. His work goes beyond the stage and studio here, his manipulation of mood and tone, even without seeing the film, remains. Using audio from the film to complement the quieter moments, the effective guitar or the rumble of an engine on The Round Stones Beneath the Earth… ties the project nicely to the namesake film. But Young goes beyond that, adding peculiar little details in which give the Dead Man soundtrack a story of its own. Interjecting guitar solos with the story of William Blake is a masterstroke from Young, whose work here is, crucially, given time to breathe.
Hazy feelings and horror-filled tones capture the macabre violence of the film tremendously, but the soundtrack stands tall without those narrative crutches. What it features most of all is creatively fulfilling instrumental work. Where these guitar solos could turn into noodling, Young’s understanding of tempo, that need to be alternative and even dismissive of expectation, is crucial. There are some sincerely beautiful moments to be heard here which plant Young, crafting an organ solo in what sounds like complete isolation, to mind. Dead Man has a delicate job in serving the film suitable material, but in that is also a fantastic counter to the rock and roll success of Mirror Ball. Dead Man is a beautiful, understated counter to the grunge fundamentals Young had pieced together with Crazy Horse and Pearl Jam.
Dead Man takes him back to the roots of his 1970s sound. Not quite the acoustic tone, but the sharp transition to rock. Hold onto that atmosphere, built so brilliantly by Young reacting to footage he was shown in the studio. His guitar is a response to the actions on-screen, interpretations of details in the story that Jarmusch never specified. Any great soundtrack can add a new layer to the meaning of its project, and Young does exactly that here with some beautiful instrumental work. Very enjoyable for those who have seen and loved Dead Man, but even those who haven’t watched the Depp-starring western can gauge plenty from this soundtrack. Young riffing on the scenes of desperation, the meaning of living up to a name given to you by those who think they know you better. It’s a wonderful experience, and those intermittent guitar solos are a major part of that.
