Explosions in the Sky -All of a Sudden I MissEveryone

Thu 22nd Mar, 2007 in Music Reviews

Post-rock. Has there ever been a more divisive genre? Post-rock was once touted as the end of all genre classification; the splintering of rock into more expansive arenas. You know, expect the unexpected. But, not unlike punk, post-rock got greedy. It got greedy.

That the supposed post-rock sound incorporates such a wide slew of musical genres – from ambience to electronica to free jazz to, for some, simply rock-with-strings or music without vocals – breeds tension amongst fans and musicians alike; many of whom have condemned it’s usage. That a tag initially attached to the non-traditional use of rock instruments and structures is also applied to bands peddling the same now-traditional forms further desecrates its reputation. Subvert or be converted, it could be said.

Texan outfit Explosions in the Sky are a case in point. Lambasted by some for a lack of progression, or for adhering to a formula built upon crescendo after well-placed crescendo, the five-piece have nonetheless forged themselves a comfortable reputation for epic melodrama. Consistency isn’t a problem, in fact Explosions in the Sky are about as reliable as they come. So much so that we should remember that music isn’t all about experimentation, even if post-rock is purported to be. Don’t blame the band; there is no shame in simply producing gorgeous guitar-based music with no vocals, yet obviously that doesn’t have quite the ring to it, does it?

The band’s three previous critically acclaimed albums How Strange, Innocence (2000), Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever (2001) and The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003), and to a lesser extent their soundtrack to Friday Night Lights (2004), managed to wordlessly communicate great depths of emotion, through sweeping guitars, reverb and distortion.

But following up on arguably their finest moment, The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place, was never going to be an easy task. That particular piece resembled the destruction, death and subsequent rebirth of the world in all its beauty. It was so complete a statement that if they wished to maintain their remarkably high level of quality, Explosions in the Sky would really have to add something new; a new dimension, a new sound. Take a risk.

On All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone Explosions in the Sky have not. There are baby steps: the fuzzed up intro to opener ‘The Birth and Death of the Day’ or the intimate piano inserts of ‘What Do You Go Home To?’, but in the end these are superfluous additions to a well-defined template. The songs are satisfying enough – and ‘Welcome, Ghosts’ is indeed very much so – but unlike its direct predecessor much of the album becomes lost in a sort of numb middle-ground between intricacy and a somewhat ham-fisted take on dynamics.

If this sounds harsh it is only because expectations have been built higher and higher, and yet it seems – in true Explosions in the Sky fashion it must be said – that these hopes were always destined to come crashing down post-crescendo. What swells up must come down in this post-post-rock world, and All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone does not provide the perfect denouement. They’ve already perfected their craft, now all of a sudden it is time for a change.