Batman: Arkham City—The Album

By Paul Casey

Arkham City is the sequel to 2009’s Arkham Asylum, the very surprising critical and commercial success from Rocksteady Studios. This soundtrack of “interpretations of the stories surrounding Batman” features a set of Indie Rock Heads doing songs that are in no real sense representative of 1) why Arkham City has a shot at game of the year or 2) why Batman is such an enduring character. As a collection of low-grade Indie Rock, it is mostly intolerable.

Arkham City—The Album is first a reminder of the marketing girth of Warner Bros. and DC Comics, and their desire to squeeze every possible dollaroo from every possible tie-in. In the age of the ultracontrived, artistically hollow comic book crossover, it is no great surprise that this soundtrack album has no purpose, except to create awareness of the brand. Only on the opening track, “Mercenary” by Panic! At The Disco, is the connection between the music and Batman clear, when a couple of lines of Hugo Strange’s dialogue is worked into the song.

There are a few tracks that are pleasant enough, and manage to conjure some of the mood of Gotham City. Blaqk Audio’s “Afterdark” has a nice beat and could be used, in a pinch, for Batman’s nightly duties. The Raveonettes’ “Oh Stranger” has a “cold night by the Gotham River” feel, with a crunchy/plink synth + guitar sound. The Duke Spirit’s “Creature” has a similar shape to a fun poppy rock song.

Even with these moderately enjoyable moments, Arkham City—The Album is remarkably dull. Past an obscenely broad suggestion of night and evil-doings, there is nothing differentiating these songs, either in quality or concept, from the songs you would expect to hear from these or any number of other bands.

When the album reaches “Total Paranoia” by Serj Tankian, we move from dull to excruciating. As we do when the pitiful fucking moan of “Drown In You” by Daughtry comes along. “Drown In You,” as a song, makes the case to eradicate Rock as a genre, or to identify it as the sole stomping ground of graceless dullards. Daughtry possess as much character as a folded shirt.

When Warner Bros. suggested to Prince in the late ’80s that he should compose an original soundtrack album for Tim Burton’s Batman, they accidentally produced something strange and compelling. Prince’s Batman, even while mostly consisting of out-takes, showed a real passion for the world of the character. It was a Gothic funk trip, and provided an unusual concept album that showed us Batman through the eyes of the Purple One. “All is well in Gotham City, the sound of terror is all you hear.”

So it is not that Warner Bros. and DC Comics have never produced something of worth with their infernal and constant cross-marketing guff. In this instance though, Rocksteady have had a pointless, plodding afterbirth attached to their work; this work has produced a game which will arrive in late October that may be a considerable achievement in video games.

Arkham City—The Album is a bad deal for the bands involved, especially the shit ones. I cannot think of a person who will be turned on to listen to the better bands here as a result of this offering, and I am sure many will be forever turned off fellows like Daughtry. For the Batman fan, it is worthless, and makes one shudder at the thought of this dreck being strong-armed into Arkham City.

I’ve seen the Future and it will be . . . a continuing stream of artistically void marketing tie-ins and flaccid PR speak.

Batman: Arkham City—The Album will be released on October 4 from Warner Bros.