Explosions In The Sky

All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

BY Chris WhibbsPublished Feb 28, 2007

The upward route of Explosions in the Sky is really quite amazing. With nary a lyric to their name and working in the commercially dead genre of post-rock they have grown their fan base and circulated their cascading crescendos to an incredible degree. While the argument could be made that Godspeed You! Black Emperor also scaled such heights of popularity, EITS are quite different. This Austin, TX-based band have an incisive clarity to their music that allows the hopeful nature of their vision to come through. The epic "It’s Natural To Be Afraid” languishes in feedback, setting up the dramatic climax, and its pure, lovely EITS. Yet it’s not just quiet/loud here, as closer "So Long, Lonesome,” a rather brief three-minute piece, is a study in layered sound and mood. The song is absolutely heartbreaking, as is the rest of this album. EITS’ clarity puts them squarely above others in post-rock because they avoid the novelty of pounding on guitars. It’s easy to do, but EITS want to actually accomplish something while they’re doing it. Everyone is as much a beautiful and beguiling album as it is a mission statement for one of the most exciting and inspiring bands out there today.

How do the songs come together?
Guitarist Munaf Rayani: "It’s completely collaborative. There’s no leader in this band and the four of us are eye to eye on everything from guitar melodies to where we play. It’s definitely kind of holding each other’s hand and walking through the forest together. I think that has been a great part of our success but at the same time, it can slow you down to a snail’s pace because the four of us, we move together. It’s extreme at times and it can cause frustration, but it’s a great checks and balances to each other.”

How important are titles to your songs?
"There’s not much rhyme or reason to it. When we do come up with something before we start playing [the song] it kind of gives us a sense of direction, a path for us to try and walk down. For example, when we started writing this record we came up with this theme, or idea, of solitude and loneliness, and we tried to play accordingly. What does that sound like? What does sitting all by yourself and being alone sound like? Or, what does sitting with 1,000 people and still feeling alone sound like?”
(Temporary Residence)

Latest Coverage