Reviews have begun pouring in for Thor: Ragnarok, out Nov. 3, and the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. The early consensus indicates that this could be the best film yet in the MCU, and at the very least it's a fun, colorful, and exciting adventure. That latter point was evident in the film's first two trailers, some of the best ever produced, which made excellent use of music to sell the fun. But what about the music of the film itself? Is the Thor: Ragnarok soundtrack as much of a neon-tinged party as the movie?
Oh yeah. The movie's soundtrack is its score, composed by Mark Mothersbaugh, and it's every bit the techno wonderland you would expect based on what you've seen from the movie. Available now in digital format at retailers like Amazon, and coming to CD on Nov. 10 (available for pre-order now), the lengthy mix is definitely the perfect backdrop to running into a "friend from work" on a distant planet. And in case you were thinking that there's no way a score could possibly match the quirky and funny strangeness that director Taika Waititi has injected into the film, you need only to look at the names of the songs to see the error in your judgement. "Grandmaster Jam Session," "Weird Things Happen," and, um, "Devil's Anus," are just a few of the imaginatively named tracks you'll find on the album, with the full 23 song track list below.
- Ragnarok Suite
- Running Short On Options
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Weird Things Happen
- Twilight of the Gods
- Hela Vs. Asgard
- Where Am I?
- Grandmaster’s Chambers
- The Vault
- No One Escapes
- Arena Fight
- Where’s the Sword?
- Go
- What Heroes Do
- Flashback
- Parade
- The Revolution Has Begun
- Sakaar Chase
- Devil’s Anus
- Asgard Is A People
- Where To?
- Planet Sakaar
- Grandmaster Jam Session
If the name Mark Mothersbaugh sounds familiar to you, that's because he's done a ton of film scores, including several movies from directors Wes Anderson and Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. He also, in addition to his extensive soundtrack experience, is the co-founder, lead singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist of the rock band Devo, one of the most unique and inventive bands around. With Devo, Mothersbaugh was behind songs like "Whip It" and "Jocko Homo," which sounded like nothing else of their day (or any day). Kinda like the Thor: Ragnarok soundtrack.
As for the sound of the Ragnarok soundtrack, it can be described at various times as sweeping and epic like a superhero film, trippy and psychedelic like a strange dream, or groovy and otherworldly like an alien disco. Much of it, though, can best be classified as retro-futuristic techno, with a decidedly old school yet modern sci-fi feel. It's absolutely spot-on for the imagery created by the film, and is similar in nature to the song heard in the movie's second trailer, "In the Face of Evil" by Magic Sword, which is not on the soundtrack, but sounds very similar to a number of songs that are.
What you won't find on the soundtrack, however, is a classic rock element like in the movie's first trailer. That trailer, which in many ways began the hype train for the film that has been rolling ever since, featured Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song," but since the soundtrack only features songs from the film's score and no popular music songs, Led Zep didn't make the cut. It's unclear, however, if the song is in the actual film or if it only appears in the trailer.
The Thor: Ragnarok soundtrack sounds just as fun, quirky, and strange as the film, and with one of the main brains of Devo behind it, that's not at all surprising.
