Explosions in the Sky: Review

Since releasing their new album, “Take Care, Take Care, Take Care,” on April 26, 2011, Explosions in the Sky has been touring the United States non-stop and will head to Spain in November for a three-month Europe tour.

It has been years since Explosions last visited New Orleans and the fan anxiety was clear when the show sold out three days ahead of time. Let me just say, I’ve never experienced anything like the show I experienced September 28.

Despite driving through a very intense thunderstorm to New Orleans (where constant “explosions” in the sky jokes were made), the light drizzle outside Tipitina’s Uptown set the perfect mood.

Our group unfortunately missed opener Wye Oak, but made it there just in time to squeeze up to  the middle of the audience. Soon, the entire place was absolutely packed and the route we had maneuvered through was enveloped by a mass of eager viewers ready to enjoy themselves.

When Mark Smith, Chris Hrasky, Munaf Rayani, and Michael James stepped onto the stage, the crowd cheered louder than they would for the rest of the show, not because they weren’t pleased with the band, but because as soon as the music started, a peaceful trance settled across the room. The band  describes their music as “cathartic mini-symphonies,” meant to purge the audience and performer off all concerns and worries, and enable a very pure experience with the band’slayers of sound.

Every song felt as though it told a story and based on the crowd’s faces during the show, that story was deeply personal to each person it touched. I noticed some tears shed here and there as the raw power and emotional barrage hit. This was not a night for dancing, and that was okay.The crowd was entranced by an energy that blanketed everyone into a somber, pensive state, entranced by the sonic textures and buildup that the band before them was presenting.

One of the bands’ slogans, as presented several times through their blogs and website, is “be comfortable creature,” which is beautiful in itself, especially considering the enveloping effect of their music.

It’s such a strange effect these songs have, being that if taken apart, they’re really quite simply constructed. It is only when each shimmering guitar riff, thunderous bass growl and explosive percussive crash come together does the music begin to make sense and one can begin to understand the saying,”Music isfeeling as sound.”

While the band did play many songs from “Take Care,” they also played favorites like The Only Moment We Were Alone from the album The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place and also a blistering version of Your Hand In Mine. Whether or not your favorite song was played, it did not seem to matter to the crowd, who like me,were content being there and experiencing the humbling post-rock symphony.

So if you’re in need of good homework music or to simply sit in silence and evaluate your life, Explosions in the Sky is the perfect sound track.