Band of the Week: Explosions In The Sky

[June 29 - July 6]

Explosions In The Sky
Sounds Like: Rock / Post-Rock
Drinking Buddies: Sigur Rós, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai

Synopsis: Beauty, no words necessary.

Makes You Want To...: Dream; Feel; Be
[Site] / [Myspace]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Explosions In The Sky.


Oh yes, tomorrow, The Fourth of July! The day the United States claimed its independence from the English Empire back in the day; the day a country of misfits and ne'er-do-wells stood up on their own two feet, and said, "Hey, we aren't going to take your perfectly logical taxes upon a colony lightly! We are the United States of England at the moment, and if you don't respect us, we'll be the United States of something else real quick-like." The day the underdog claimed their independence as a land of people who can think for themselves, and a day when a few crazy people started an avalanche of a revolution that changed history...

This day is special here in the States - it's the very core of what our nation was founded on - without the actions of the founding fathers of this nation's independence, well, the face of the world would be very much different today. It's a special day for my home country, and so, I feel like sharing something especially special with you, today, reader. This is my all time favourite band, bar none. This is a band not only from my home country, but from my home state of Texas, another epic landscape founded by the acts of a few crazy rebels. This is a band that has somehow taken emotions and dreams, and contained them within the sounds exquisitely assembled on a musical album, done in a way no other band could help to do. This band is a band of rebels, a band of raw feeling, and a band that have no equals. This is a band that is beyond unique. This is Explosions In The Sky.

In some wildly, unrealistically romantic turn of coincidence, Explosions In The Sky was formed on the Fourth of July of 1999, one whole decade ago to the day. With their beginnings of watching fireworks blast in the air with mind numbing beauty and volume, this quartet originally hailing Midland, Texas - now calling the capitol of Austin their home - aimed to dream beyond dreams, and with their inept, indisputable musical abilities, have began changing the very structure and ideals of music from the ground up.

Explosions In The Sky is usually put into the genre of post-rock - though they assure they're just a rock band. Post-rock is a new genre that is still in those early stages when all the weird mutations are happening, and the genre as a whole looks like some ridiculous reject from Spore. At present, the genre is mostly defined by tremendously powerful rock music, usually entirely instrumental, that uses crescendo, climax, and sheer walls of sound to its advantage. Post-rock is quickly becoming a tremendous musical creature with all nameless sorts of bands, such as This Will Destroy You, I Hear Sirens, and The American Dollar. But for any post-rock band that raises their guitar in triumph, you can believe without a doubt that much of the inspiration for such epic instrumental choreography was from the magic that Explosions In The Sky weaved across their guitars and drums.

But how does one describe a band so esoteric? Explosions In The Sky are a national phenomenon, yet somehow remain a musical underdog. They are esoteric beyond measure, yet some of the most relaxed and humble folks you'll see. Their music is epic, sheer walls of sound ripping apart speakers by the very seems of their electro-engineering, yet Explosions In The Sky are sincere masters of silence in their music, holding your heart and breath all at once as you wait for that next note to break the beautifully haunting quietude.

How does one describe Explosions In The Sky? I describe it as dreams in motion, ebbing and flowing in the inconceivable Ether of sound. I describe it as imagination personified, and thus materialized into existence, through the vehicle of sound. I describe it as the tremendous build-up of potential energy stored in the snow of a mountain's peak tumbling down to the ground in slow motion - each nuance full in view - all the chaos and beauty shining forth is such a terribly perfect event - crashing down upon the land below in powerful, unbelievably epic fashion, only to settle in silence, sitting cooly and calmly waiting for another dream to come true. But that's just me.

Explosions In The Sky have four full length albums to their name, all of which take and express a different feeling and emotion, these albums' titles being their individual theme. How Strange, Innocence, Those Who Tell The Truth Will Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever, The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place, and All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, all entirely unique, all completely different, all calming silence and deafening sound. All beautiful. They also have a mini-album, The Rescue, in an extremely unique fashion, which you can download for free and learn more about here, and read a little explanation straight from Explosions In The Sky.

Explosions In The Sky shocked their fanbase last year by claiming they are taking a short break from music, looking forward to, "getting back to our normal lives here in Austin...walking dogs, taking naps, having babies, playing scrabble, painting bathrooms, fixing air conditioners, reading about the Civil War, etc." But somehow, they haven't really settled down in their music careers, performing a miniature ten year anniversary tour, going to a limited number of cities, including Austin, Chicago, and others. They're book for the Free Press Summer Fest in Houston in August, a tour with The Flaming Lips afterward, and the infamous All Tomorrow's Parties in the UK in December. Explosions In The Sky is also celebrating their tenth birthday by playing a small show at Stubb's Barbeque in Austin, on the Fourth of July. You can hear more of Explosions In The Sky on their website, or on their Myspace.

As much as I could say about Explosions In The Sky, there is no way I could ever do this band any justice. To me, they are the epitome of music, and have - in their own way - changed my life, just a little, by allowing me to drift with them in their dreams. Just as Explosions ends all their messages to their friends...

Thanks for caring.

Love.