Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
<p>Listening to Explosions in the Sky can be very discouraging.</p>
<p>When the titillating sounds flow out of your headphones, it is a reminder that you will never be as good at anything in life as these men are at making music.</p>
<p>The Texas quartet has been putting out albums acclaimed by the post-rock community since the start of last decade. Each record is the favorite of certain fans and it is difficult to argue with any of them.</p>
<p>“Take Care, Take Care, Take Care,” coming out stateside on the 26th, will be vaulted to the forefront of those discussions upon its release.</p>
<p>At its very core, Explosions in the Sky have always been some combination of lead and bass guitars with drums that make for a unique uplifting effect. Here, it seems like they’re using more of everything, or using what they have more effectively, expanding their already mountainous sound into something extraterrestrial.</p>
<p>Seemingly orchestral noise ushers in the opening track, “Last Known Surroundings.” After that, some odd-sounding squeaking takes place — both effects are very uncharacteristic of the band.</p>
<p>Reassuringly, it does not take long before a warm jab of guitar enters the room, quickly joined by a driving drumbeat. A loftier, lighter guitar sound asserts itself, rekindling fond memories of albums past.</p>
<p>The ethereal combination seems like it should be the soundtrack to the greatest moment of life — this is what should be reverberating in the skull of a mountain climber at the summit of Everest, or a father tightly holding his wife’s hand as he witnesses the birth of his first child.</p>
<p>The seamless transition between the first track and “Human Qualities” gives the impression that they were broken up for the sake of easier navigation, rather than because they are two distinct compositions.</p>
<p>The second track builds on the first, albeit beginning more reservedly. Airy, rambling guitar dominates the song’s first half until it fades into a deep heartbeat drum and faint vocal “ooh”s, a rare thing on an Explosions in the Sky recording. A beat that sounds like one of the band members was patting his chest fades in, along with other elements, to build a fittingly-heavy climax that doesn’t cause goose bumps — it causes goose mountain ranges.</p>
<p>Things move along swimmingly as each track, contributes to the greater good of the complete album while keeping its own identity. This work was not made for the MP3 age, where consumers can pick records apart for the highlights. The dynamic of this type of album calls for a complete run-through of the whole thing, where missing one part would detract from the experience.</p>
<p>One track away from the album’s conclusion comes “Postcard from 1952,” which clocks in at a few seconds over seven minutes, making it the second-shortest track here. It starts humbly, building a sense of anticipation for the Herculean climax that is sure to come. This sounds less like a postcard from 1952 and more like a postcard to 1952, telling our ancestors of all the good things that came from them.</p>
<p>After all that, this record picks an interesting way to wrap itself up. The beginning percussion and guitar are nearly reminiscent of Radiohead in their vibe, but the song quickly assumes its post-rock identity. It hits an early peak and ends with an understated four minutes to wrap things up, like walking a few laps to cool down after a long run.</p>
<p>The quality of music like this is difficult to put into words, which is fitting since not a word is spoken here. This record is an event, to be fully experienced before being completely understood and appreciated.</p>
<p>“Take Care, Take Care, Take Care” is currently streaming online in its entirety at the band’s website, giving everybody a fantastic opportunity to hear what will end up being the best album of 2011.</p>
<p>(originally published April 20, 2011 at: http://mainecampus.com/2011/04/20/cd-review-explosions-in-the-sky-%E2%80%9Ctake-care-take-care-take-care%E2%80%9D/)</p>