The Wake

“Everything is bigger in Texas;” a cliché that could not be better demonstrated than by the explosive instrumental quartet known as Explosions in the Sky. From ripping apart melodies drowned in droning feedback to quietly plucking a single string, Explosions have mastered a tension that makes for easy and enjoyable listening, even for the lyrically inclined. Starting off barely audible, the band slowly builds up the rhythm, adding guitar after guitar until the song seems like it’s going to burst. It’s no wonder that the name Explosions in the Sky fits these four Texans like a tight cowboy boot; their music is like an impressionist painting of a fireworks display. One of the best things about the band is its continuity, releasing four full-length albums that never seem repetitive and never stray too far into the mainstream so that each is enjoyably new, yet pleasantly familiar.

The first song off the band’s latest release, All of the Sudden I Miss Everyone, “The Birth and Death of the Day” starts off with their classic distortion-laden buildup accompanied by two guitars soaring in the background. The best thing about these guys isn’t simply their continuity, or their remarkable albums, it is the fact that they can accomplish all of this and still put on an amazing live set. Even from their beginnings, Explosions in the Sky live shows have been described as stunning, or as their fellow Texan based instrumental friends The American Analog Set says, “This totally fucking destroys!” Destroys is right, Explosions destroy the conventions of indie rock by rising beyond the added influence of lyrics. The fact that Explosions in the Sky have achieved such a great following is extraordinary for the instrumental genre, which is unfortunately rarely known outside of a few bands such as Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor. Although Explosions keep under the radar enough to avoid Gap commercials, they have had a fairly large amount of mainstream success. Many non-indie loving music fans and frat guys alike can recognize Explosions in the Sky music as, “that music off of Friday Night Lights”. The band enjoys such success as having an entire soundtrack CD to Friday Night Lights in their name and having their songs appear on the newer TV series. Enjoying such a following among the indie-elite and the mainstream alike, its no wonder that people packed in for their show March 20th at First Ave.

Getting to the show early had the perks snagging a spot close to the stage and catching the first act of the night, a one-man project of Matthew Cooper: Eluvium. Along with being an established instrumental artist in his own right, Eluvium shares the Tempoary Residence label with Explosions. Along with Explosions recent release, Eluvium is touring to promote his most recent album out his already stunning catalog, Copia. Shifting from subdued melodies to eroding sequences Eluvium builds up his crescendo of piano and guitar early on, rising from slow and peaceful melodies until he hits the distortion and everything melts into one rising and falling drone. Accompanied by a minimalist slideshow of bird’s circling a smoke stack, Eluvium’s piano pieces hypnotize the audience in a steady ambient nod.

After a short break The Paper Chase drowned the stage in their nervous sideshow rock. The paranoid bursts of noise, the theatrical aspects of the opening songs and the panicked jerks of front man John Congleton, The Paper Chase exploits their noise heavy rock to attack the audience song after song. On the road after putting out their 4th full-length album Now You Are One of Us, The Paper Chase uses their music and their bodies as a form of theatre both frightening and manic. Both a talented singer and guitar player, John Congleton also produced Explosions in the sky’s recent release.

With the venue nearly filled Explosions in the Sky took the stage. Forgoing theatrics and slide shows Explosions began with “The Birth and Death of the Day,” composed simply of three guitarists and a drummer hidden in the background. Although their stage presence was minimalist, they started off slow and quiet only to crescendo into a reverb filled chorus and soaring guitars. Explosions kept the crowd entranced, from screaming to mutely watching, perfecting their cycle of highs and lows to make the hour long set fly by without the slightest sense of boredom. Regardless of whether you like instrumental music or not, Explosions in the Sky is an innovative band, mainstream and underground at the same time. The members of Explosions aren’t the pretentious art rockers of some instrumental outfits, just four guys from Austin playing music they love.