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Murphy's thematic usage will generate most of the discussion about the score for Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3. The strategic approach to the themes is similar to what listeners heard with Danny Elfman's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, in which the prior main identity by Michael Giacchino was referenced in passing but largely supplanted. With the shift in character emphasis in this movie, one could make the argument that a transition away from the core theme by Bates was merited, but how that decision was handled will certainly cause a dose of angst. That primary Bates identity is a somewhat swashbuckling adventure tool that connects the concept with Silvestri's material for the larger universe. Not only is that theme marginalized here, but so is that connective Marvel tone. The Bates theme had been exercised in many modes in the prior two scores, so it's unfortunate to hear Murphy relegate it to lip service placements during action or resolution scenes. The major statement at 2:37 into "Guardians vs Hell Spawn" seems forced, and horns carry it with some faintly heroic stature at 2:35 into "Domo! Domo!" Its most effective moment may come in the light, harp-aided renditions in the first half of "I Love You Guys," with a dramatic statement cut off at the end of the cue. Otherwise, don't expect much to return from Bates' music. While his evocative family theme (largely for the Quill and Yondu characters) could have sufficed for some of the same concepts in this story, Murphy doesn't choose to run with it. Instead, he opted to conjure three new thematic sets that are often not entirely clear in major enunciation or deconstructed enough in manipulation to provide more than cursory representation. In some cases, the themes still work because of the tone of their conveyance. But don't expect the narrative to thrive as a thematic ecosystem with satisfying development. The three concepts receiving fresh themes are the High Evolutionary, Rocket, and the new Guardians team that develops over the picture. Murphy tends to have difficulty sticking with consistent melodic lines from moment to moment, and even the underlying chords sometimes become muddy. You thus end up feeling the presence of the themes in fragmentary allusion rather than simplistic regurgitation. The exception to this method applies to the High Evolutionary theme, which stands apart from Marvel's musical past in its vocalizations.

Massive choral and opera-inspired vocalizations of a nearly religious level aren't typical in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that's the sound that Murphy adopted for the High Evolutionary theme and associated agonized experiments and death in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3. The main descending phrase is long and ponderous, leading to an even more drawn-out set of meandering secondary lines that clearly mean to ape the majesty of Howard Shore's Middle Earth fantasy techniques. With a few variants, the idea is difficult to nail down in its exact melody once the initial descending line passes, requiring similar chord progressions to lead the way. These echoes are teased throughout "That Hurts" but come to fruition at the start of "Mo Ergaste Forn" on solo female voice, followed by an alternation with a male voice. The extremely wet ambience of the recording here gives it a distinct monastery feel. The idea is keenly adapted to woodwinds at 0:18 and again later in "Naming" and is turned into a suspenseful tool nicely at the start of "Hooray Time Forever!" In that latter cue, the theme accelerates and bloats to a simplistic crescendo of power with ensemble and synths before closing the scene in darker shades. The High Evolutionary theme takes a more somber stance in the middle of "Into the Light," returns to solo female voice at the outset of "The High Evolutionary," and is expanded on the album in "Mo Ergaste Forn (Full Version)." Of equal emotional reach is the new theme for Rocket's salvation and, alternatively, ascent to leadership position. Hinted late in "Batch 89" and "Orgoscope," this comparatively elusive identity emerges immediately in "Dido's Lament" (along with possibly an allusion to Bates' main theme near the start) and is conveyed by solo female voice with choir at 0:19; the lyrics of "Remember Me" are repetitive, and the cue builds into an utterly massive orchestral opera piece by its conclusion. A variant takes a different melodic stance on similar shifts during "Into the Light," though the proper theme informs the early, militaristic ass-kicking of "Domo! Domo!" It becomes more fluid on exotic woodwind and strings in "Use Your Heart Boy," with a huge moment at the end of the cue. A solo female voice takes it in the lovely latter half of "Who We Are," and the theme returns with similar beauty in the middle of "All Life Has Meaning." For some listeners, the equally pretty Rocket and High Evolutionary themes are rendered so similarly that they could be considered largely interchangeable in purpose.

The third new theme of note in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 doesn't emerge until late in the picture, but it may be Murphy's passing of the musical torch to a new generation of the Guardians. It's the core dramatic identity for the group as they achieve their final heroism, but the theme doesn't have a significant impact on the final cues. Its chord progressions and lyricism will remind film score collectors of Klaus Badelt's The Promise, which is rarely a detriment. This idea congeals in the latter half of "It Really is Good to Have Friends" and becomes massive with choir and tolling chimes in the middle of "Mantis and the Abelisk." It opens "Did That Look Cool?" with epic orchestral and choral drama, reduced to a more wholesome understatement in the second half of that cue and faintly guiding the progressions at the outset of "On the Spaceport." Some may consider this idea to be a bit orphaned in its placements, and the same could be said of a few other tonally easy highlights throughout the score. One cue of particular note with a unique melodic twist is the High Evolutionary material's variant that flourishes in the middle of "Naming" using its secondary series of attractive, rising three-note phrases. The score's themes have narrative flow issues throughout, the opening and closing cues failing to really establish or reinforce the three new themes in satisfying ways. Murphy acquits himself fairly well in the emotional send-off cues, but the score starts without much appeal, and many of the action sequences are quite forgettable. The blend of rock and symphonic elements is mostly fine; the issue with these sequences is the rather simplistic and almost boring structures provided to those scenes. In the film, they may function well enough for most viewers, but they don't have much to offer outside of context. Softer associated cues like "Hooray Time Forever!" are an exception and are easily digestible. The richly emotional melodic cues, on the other hand, lend themselves to even better appreciation on album, and they occupy almost half the listening experience. That 63-minute presentation needs rearranged to consolidate the like-minded portions, though only the adequate but annoying source piece in "Orgoscope Elevator" reminds of the completely haphazard flow issues of The Suicide Squad. In the end, there's much to like in the lengthy dramatic fantasy portions of Murphy's score for Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, especially in the choral work, but the routine action portions and lack of prominence for Bates' franchise theme will leave some concept enthusiasts sour.   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

• Music as Written for the Film:  ***
• Music as Heard on Album:  ****
• Overall:  ****

Total Time: 62:51