As emotionally poignant and breathtaking as the film, the Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s original score by John Murphy is a tear-jerker through and through. To contrast the vast array of emotions that Awesome Mix Vol. 3 brings to the forefront, the original score takes listeners through a different adventure as it dives deep into slower melodies.
So much of the film is an emotional roller coaster, and during the most significant moments, the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 original score pulses through, adding nuances and depth to those scenes in a riveting fashion. It’s rare to note the music while watching the scene, but in this case, it’s effortless to pick up on them during the first screening. And that’s ultimately a testament to the work Murphy puts into crafting pieces that are full of emotions.
Operatic notes in scores don’t always do the trick. It’s a rare exception, like in Fleabag or Autumn de Wilde’s Emma. And now, we can add the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 score into the mix because it’s those very tracks that cut deep into the wounds we’re still trying to recover from. The tonal shifts throughout the album also feel incredibly organic, jumping from slower tracks to slightly more upbeat ones with meticulous care that seldom happens in the superhero genre.
And while it’s essentially a no-skip album, we have to single out the brilliant emotions bursting through from “I Love You Guys.” As the track takes familiar themes with the triumphant notes that Marvel scores tend to feature, it focuses closely on the found family, bringing to life the adoration bursting within the scene. It sounds bizarre to say that a worldless track exudes an intense emotion like love, but it’s true.
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The album encapsulates love as an emotion by relying on the steady serenity the feeling evokes even when stretches are challenging. It takes quiet melodies, drawing them out slowly and effectively to convey what cannot be described with words. It’s a feeling, and it hits in all the right ways. To begin with a track like “Kits” and end with “All Life Has Meaning” makes the original score a particular form of escapism that many will frequently come back to.
Listen to the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 original score below, and let us know which tracks are your favorites.