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March 26, 2007
Explosions in the Sky
It's reminiscent of the moment when Andy Dufresne emerges from the sewer umbrella-less and opens his mouth to the pouring rain outside the walls of Shawshank. If music can be a visual process, then Explosions in the Sky must hold the copyright to the Hollywood moment where the guy who all of the sudden (after a leisurely thought provoking stroll through the rain) begins to sprint in the other direction after the girl who is off to the airport. For some reason Hollywood has made me believe that all dramatic moments must occur in a downpour. Nevertheless, for these moments there is a certain haunting musical feeling that all of the sudden can erupt into a euphoric pounce that captures the moment of revelation. For all these rain soaked moments there is a music, and one of the bands that personify this sound is Explosions in the Sky.
The idea that these visual moments come to mind while listening to Explosions is of course the very reason why they were chosen for the soundtrack of Peter Berg’s Friday Night Lights. But the band will be the first to share their amazement on how their audience has grown with every tour. This points to the fact that Explosions have managed to simultaneously become a solid studio instrumental band while developing a stage presence that can hold the attention of a sold out crowd through even the most ambient corners of silence.
The story that Temporary Residence signed the band in 1999 after only listening to half of their demo, which was delivered with the attached note "This totally f$cking destroys," speaks to the emotional power of the music. However, it also highlights a critique that someone can take one sniff at the beaker and know exactly what goes into the formula regardless of its exploding power.
This is the critical scale in which their most recent album All of the Sudden I Miss Everyone has been viewed.
Most have lauded the recent release but also feel it necessary to comment on the point that the band is still using the same recipe for all three meals. I have a similar take on the matter but, for what it's worth, I usually skip breakfast anyway and am all for eating chicken for dinner and chicken salad for lunch.
Below are two tracks, the first from their 2003 release The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place which is followed by "Welcome, Ghosts" from the new album. With their fierce attack in moments of intensity and inventive approach during periods of calm, drummer Christopher Hrasky and bassist Michael James are the chemical ingredients of the explosion in Explosions in the Sky. Seeing the band last weekend at the Starlight Ballroom in Philadelphia only heightened my respect for these two members.
The repetitive guitar riffs make these songs seem hauntingly familiar while also giving the music some air before the sound is grounded by the rhythm section. Christopher Hrasky’s Darth Vader-esque marching beat countered against the lightness of the guitar riff drive these songs into motion and propel them forward.
I'm real interested to see what kind of direction this band takes as critical pressure to change with every album grows. But for now we will have to suffice with my cheap explosion metaphors. So... even though the rebels may blow up the Death Star in every episode, the Empire will keep building it and I will keep watching the pyrotechnics.
// NPR's recent stream of their 9:30 club performance here
// All of the Sudden I Miss Everyone buy
Posted by Yonah Korngold at March 26, 2007 06:40 PM
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Comments
I agree, EitS = Awesome. But (not trying to take anything away from your post) can't most of what you wrote equally be said about most other post rock bands?
Posted by: Randall Monty at March 27, 2007 08:27 AM
true, when talking about any post rock your going to be talking emotionally driven sounds that conjure up visual representations... but with that said Explosions do the exploding aspect of the song really really well.
Posted by: Yonah at March 27, 2007 10:54 AM
