The lineup for the Best Original Score at the 2024 Oscars is quite the ensemble. Ludwig Göransson’s score for “Oppenheimer” is in the running, alongside the melodies of Jerskin Fendrix for “Poor Things.” Not to be overlooked, Laura Karpman’s “American Fiction,” John Williams’ latest “Indiana Jones” adventure, and Robbie Robertson’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” are also contenders. The golden statuette’s fate will be sealed on March 10th in the City of Angels.
Jerskin Fendrix’s nod for “Poor Things” is a curveball, catapulting him from London’s indie cradle at the Windmill to the global limelight. It’s a quirky twist of fate—Fendrix, known for his ties with Black Midi and Black Country, New Road, even got a shoutout in “Track X.” And in a bittersweet note, the late Robbie Robertson’s nomination for “Killers of the Flower Moon” pays homage to his final masterpiece.
The Academy spilled the beans on the shortlists in late December, stirring up the scene with potential winners. Mica Levi, Mark Ronson, and Joe Hisaishi were in the mix but didn’t snag a spot in the final showdown. Last year’s applause went to Volker Bertelmann, you know, Hauschka, for his haunting “All Quiet on the Western Front” score.
And hey, keep your eyes peeled for Pitchfork’s take on the 2024 Academy Awards—it’s bound to be a spectacle. The melodies that moved us, from Fendrix’s “Poor Things” to Williams’ whip-cracking “Indiana Jones,” Karpman’s “American Fiction,” Göransson’s “Oppenheimer,” and Robertson’s swan song, are all etched in the annals of this year’s Oscar buzz.
