Film music enthusiasts should be relieved, at the very least, and perhaps even impressed by the music for Guardians of the Galaxy from Bates, whose typical scores of this generation involve stewing in synthetic muck. He manages to bridge the gap between the derivative Djawadi and Jackman end and the Silvestri and Tyler aspirations pretty well, and your opinion of the work as a whole will depend on how much the influences of the former detract from what Bates was trying to accomplish to elevate the work towards the latter. On the upside, you have an orchestral and choral ensemble that is used vigorously and with competence. A very Silvestri-like primary theme hits the screen with glory in "The Kyln Escape" as the Guardians are solidified as a group, and the theme is supplied frequently thereafter. That cue and several others are entertaining in a generic but surely adequate superhero fashion, the highlights of the work maintaining your interest with ease. While Bates certainly showed he could handle an orchestra with 300, regardless of its issues, few listeners probably expected him to whip up such solid symphonic force for this occasion. The trailing trumpet phrases on the main theme's best performances are the kind of technique not expected here. Some will credit Bates' crew (and especially Timothy Williams) for this work, and perhaps there's some truth to those attributions, but the end result works better than expected, and Bates deserves kudos for that. There are plenty of downsides to the score, however, and they pull Guardians of the Galaxy back to the middle of the pack amongst other Marvel Universe film scores. The aforementioned orchestra is, true to Zimmer tradition, missing woodwinds, forcing mid-range brass into that role with negative results. The incessant chopping of strings without much performance inflection wastes that section during action sequences; the same effect could have been achieved with a couple of players overdubbed endlessly. The choir's usage is a bit boring and stereotypical; no unconventional vocal applications are attempted. Synthetic elements are plenty in the score, especially in the material for the villains, and while this contribution is typically in background sound design, it becomes a problem when pitch-altering elements come into play. The technique of using a powerful descending bass tone to suggesting a "sinking feeling" is obnoxiously overplayed in this work; whereas that idea was interesting ten years ago, it is nothing more than an irritation now. The frequency of its execution in Guardians of the Galaxy, sometimes in short succession within the same cue ("The Pod Chase") merits a deduction of the overall rating alone.

One of the most defining aspects of the score for Guardians of the Galaxy is its anonymity at times. The lack of a truly solid theme for Ronan, the villain, causes associated cues to boil along without much interesting musical cohesion. There is no clear secondary theme to compete with the primary identity, causing the highlights of the score to be those moments when that core returns with a full statement. A theme for the "Nova Corps" is developed in anthemic glory, complete with electric guitar, in "The Ballad of the Nova Corps (Instrumental)" but does not return in a satisfying form thereafter, depriving the score of a great interplay between that group and the misfits allied with it. For some listeners, these singular cues will be enough. But for others, the lack of a truly enunciated narrative structure will yield some dissatisfaction. The relatively quiet moments in the score, such as "Sacrifice" and "To the Stars," despite containing choral cooing or subtle phrasing from the main theme, are not emotively effective and lack gravity. Likewise, a fair amount of the action sequences, when not incorporating the main theme, sound like leftovers from a Steve Jablonsky Transformers romp. There remains one other issue about Guardians of the Galaxy's music that is ripe for discussion, and that is the interaction between the score and the songs in the film. The humor of the movie is no doubt one of its central attractions, and the songs are key to that allure. But Bates' attempts to address the humor (or cheeky wonder) are somewhat inept. From the retro synthetics of "Groot Spores" to the slight jauntiness of string rhythms in "A Nova Upgrade," Bates sometimes tries a lighter route, and it just doesn't work. Likewise, there's absolutely nothing in this score connecting it to the 1970's era songs; even some occasional lapses into that era's rock or funk in the score's background demeanor would have been a nice touch. But it's clear that Bates, and more likely the filmmakers, sought a total disconnect between the songs and score, creating almost a parody-like atmosphere when the score is pounding away at its heroics. In the end, though, at least the score is well mixed and the supply of a Silvestri mock-up of a hero's theme is welcomed (though by "Black Tears," you'll be oddly reminded of Danny Elfman's Black Beauty). The best presentation of the music from Guardians of the Galaxy comes on the "Deluxe" product that combines the songs and score in separate presentations. In the score portion, a spattering of the top cues keep you interested in the first half until the final half dozen cues solidify the experience before a somewhat tepid send-off. It's not a great score, but it's solid enough to merit continued interest should Bates return to guide it for the inevitable sequel.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download