The first two months of this year have been quite busy for me. Not only was I extremely occupied with the IFMCA and our own eSWay Awards, but I also wrote a few Spotlight articles, a couple of concert reports about excellent concerts, and I published two interviews during this period. In the meantime, I still found time to go to the movie theater to see Argylle. I was pleasantly surprised by that film and its music, making it perfect for finally writing a regular review after these hectic months.
I went to the theater without knowing anything about the film. I understood it would be some sort of parody on spy movies, but I did not know where the story would exactly take me, and I was pleasantly surprised. One of the reasons for this surprise was that I listened to Lorne Balfe’s score before watching the film, and while the traditional orchestral score fits a spy movie perfectly it did not reflect the silly twists on screen at all, except for some cat sounds in “The Spy Who Scratched Me.”
There are two main themes to be found in the music. The first, found in “Argylle’s Theme,” represents the good guys, and it contains some amazing melodies, with one of those melodies being created in part by director Matthew Vaughn, according to Balfe. The theme basically has two sub-themes flowing into each other. The first sounds graceful, and the French horns especially stand out in that part showcasing more the person behind the spy. The second is more heroic, representing the actions a spy can perform. I really love who the theme represents, which I will not spoil in this review.
The second theme is, you guessed it, for the bad guys and can be spotted in “The Division Theme.” It is less complex than the other main theme, with a simple ominous melody performed on the organ first before other instruments take over the theme. There is also a third theme, which is present in “Elly’s Writing Theme.” It is a gorgeous piece of music that, in this track, goes from a timid melody to a full orchestral version with choir.
All these themes are brilliantly integrated into a beautiful orchestral score. The two main themes have been created in such a way that they can seamlessly flow into each other throughout the soundtrack. The fact that the music is well suited for a spy movie in general, enhances the parody effect of the film. The music for Argylle is another outstanding score by Lorne Balfe for a very entertaining film.
Listen or buy
- Buy this soundtrack from Amazon.com or Apple Music
- Listen to this soundtrack on Spotify
Tracklist
The highlights are in bold.
- Mini Moke Mayhem (2:21)
- Serve The Same Master (4:09)
- Argylle In Hong Kong (1:51)
- This Seat Is Taken (1:41)
- Enjoy The Ride (1:31)
- The Division Theme (2:38)
- Aiden & Elly (2:46)
- Electric Energy (3:16)
- Spoon Spy (1:57)
- The Spy Who Scratched Me (2:48)
- Argylle In The Mirror (2:41)
- Elly’s Writing Theme (3:00)
- Parental Misguidance (1:40)
- Do You Think I’m Ok? (3:43)
- Alfie (5:09)
- Rachel’s Story (5:30)
- Al-Badr Palace (3:21)
- Double Crosser (2:07)
- Furocious (2:31)
- Mama’s Gotta Go To Work (2:29)
- Careless Whisker (00:30)
- Satelite Signals (2:51)
- You Missed (1:53)
- Concluding The Argylle Saga (1:45)
- Yellow Shirt (1:30)
- Argylle’s Theme (3:25)
- Now And Then (Argylle Symphony) (3:55)
- Get Up And Start Again (3:27)
Total length: 1 hour and 16 minutes
MARV Music (2024)
