Metahuman, Sverre Knut Johansen’s sixth album for Spotted Peccary, is about looking beyond the arbitrary constructs of ordinary life towards a higher consciousness. Inspired by the Deepak Chopra book of the same name, Metahuman is the search for the best version of oneself, a posing of the question: what are we capable of without the conditional mind? Johansen renders this reflection in his diverse sonic palette as he traverses the rhythmic and the spacious, the symphonic and the solitary—ever-anchored by a keen sense of melody. He often compares composing to painting, and this compositional philosophy is evident on Metahuman. He adds layer after layer to the canvas, sometimes Berlin School sequences, sometimes a post-rock drumline, until a landscape is wrought from overlapping shades. Stunning and elegiac, “Human (Path of Destruction)” begins with a wistful arpeggiator rising through a subtle texture. As the piece progresses, tension swells to apocalyptic heights. Mourning drones recall Hans Zimmer’s work, the wistful arpeggiator twisting through an expanse of yearning, mourning all that could have been. Percussion carries the piece to swirling crescendo—then detonates like shattering waves. Contrarily, “Metahuman” is calm and pensive. A subtle, trip-hop-esque beat pulses behind a stunning Haken Continuum performance from Ståle Storløkken. “Fluctuations of Awareness,” has the essence of the cosmic; distorted warbles cut through steely atmospherics like blips on a radar screen. Like its title suggests, “Fluctuations” never stays in one place for long; a helicopter-like loop thunders through its midsection before dissolving under ethereal waves. Fellow Spotted Peccary artist David Helpling lends shimmering guitar to closer “Infinity Being,” the journey ending in a place of peace.
At times yearning and visually imaginative, at times rhythmic and propulsive, Metahuman’s nine layered sonic topologies present a master electronic composer at his best.
