Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place

Explosions In The Sky: Michael James (guitar, bass); Munaf Rayani, Mark Smith (guitar); Chris Hrasky (drums, shakers, bells).
Explosions in the Sky is set to make a noticeable mark on the indie rock scene. It combines epic guitar architecture a la Sonic Youth, the spatial manipulation of slowcore bands like Low, and the instrumental rock ambition of upstarts like Mogwai. While the band's 2001 debut trafficked in whiplash stylistic change-ups and hard rock dynamics, THE EARTH IS NOT A COLD DEAD PLACE is strikingly uniform in tone and sensibility. Here the group's straightforward instrumentation of guitars, bass, and percussion coalesces into a shifting landscape of lovely and irresistible dreaminess.
There are only five tracks on the album, but each song evolves through several movements, with delicate, ringing melodies plucked out on guitars--overlapping and eclipsing each other, while bass and drums create pulses that are both ambient and insistent. The tone throughout is deeply meditative, and often melancholic. But the intelligence and meticulous craft behind the Explosions' instrumental interplay is enough to keep even the most jaded indie rock ears attuned. Though THE EARTH is moody, subtle, and deliberately paced, it is also a deeply absorbing listen, and promises even greater things to come from this inventive band.