All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone : Explosions In The Sky : Review : Rolling Stone

This Texas band plays instrumental music of huge ambition and swagger, built with a few simple ingredients: Mark Smith and Munaf Rayani's haiku-like guitar figures, spinning in stinging-treble tornadoes, then given altitude and volcanic attitude by drummer Chris Hrasky and bass guitarist Michael James. But there is no watch-me soloing. Explosions in the Sky (who made a feedback-rich splash in Hollywood with their 2004 score for the film Friday Night Lights) are like the Kronos Quartet with big amps and John Bonham in the back, exploring the composed details in their music before blowing 'em up. "It's Natural to Be Afraid," the near-quarter-hour centerpiece of the band's first studio album in two years, opens with the guitars in a double-helix dance anchored by a stern, repeated piano note while a bee swarm of distortion slowly overwhelms the mix. Later, Smith and Rayani emphasize the darkness in the song's title with galactic-folk sorrow, until Hrasky beats back the shadows with marching-snare dynamite. In this band, a real singer would just get in the way -- or get run over.

DAVID FRICKE

(Posted: Feb 22, 2007)

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Review 1 of 7

4of 5 Stars

Pretty good but many of the songs from this CD are very similar to songs on previous albums. Still a classic.

Jun 29, 2008 18:13:05

Review 2 of 7

5of 5 Stars

One of my favourite people sat me down excitedly a few years ago and handed me a CD with a stupid look of satisfaction on his face. “This is what goes on inside my head”. The CD was The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place by Explosions In The Sky. Such an introduction to a band is rare, and I was a worried he might be overselling it a bit. Instead, I discovered my favourite instrumental band of all time. Two studio albums on and ‘Explosions’ continue to weave sounds together to create a blanket of atmospheric brilliance on All of A Sudden I Miss Everyone.

The album opens with The Birth and Death of The Day, a gentle and progressive track that makes full use of reverse-delayed guitars, tubey amps, and shimmering ride cymbals. The song, as its name suggests, is like a journey through any day, with peaks and lulls. Like most ‘Explosions’ songs, it runs well over the standard three-and-a-half minutes, providing space for the music to evolve naturally and allowing the listener to completely lose track of time. It is a perfect introduction of what to expect for the rest of the album.

As on all ‘Explosions’ albums, the songs tend to melt seamlessly into each other, and if you’re not watching the digital display on your player, you could convince yourself you’re listening to one 44 minute song. As such, before you are really aware of it, you are up to the final track So Long, Lonesome, having experienced a multitude of sounds and emotions. It’s for this reason the album reminds me of that saying ‘there’s a time and place for everything’. You’re not likely to put this on at a party, unless that party is at an opium den, and it’s well into happy hour. That said, you don’t need to be a junkie to dig it. This album works best for me while stuck on public transport. Such is the beauty of the sounds, it can make a gridlock seem poetic and beautiful.

All of A Sudden I Miss Everyone, like all Explosions In The Sky albums, is expansive, diverse, and beautiful. But not everyone will get into it. If you prefer your music in smaller, more radio-friendly doses, then you’d best steer clear. But if you’re up for appreciating just how beautiful modern progressive music can be, get your ass on a bus to the local CD store. The trip home will be amazing.

Oct 15, 2007 20:06:06

Review 3 of 7

5of 5 Stars

these guys are exceptional. so original. the music often put me in a deeply contemplative, retrospective trance. the reviewer is right, this music is beyond the inclusion of lyrics and a singer. "the earth is not a cold, dark place" and this album are equally superb in my opinion. i strongly recommend getting them both.

Jun 29, 2007 14:29:48

Review 4 of 7

5of 5 Stars

9.3 out of 10. This is a monumental leap forward for the band. I really didn't think they were capable of making a great album, but they have done it. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone is a wonderfully concieved post rock effort that wordlessly communicates deeply felt emotion. It has this oceanic quality to it, cymbals crash as if immitating violent waves, pianos glisten as if representing torrential rain, or flourescent coral reefs. Never has an album cover so perfectly mirrored the music contained within

Mar 9, 2007 11:01:26

Review 5 of 7

4of 5 Stars

The Austin, Texas boys are back with a superb collection of droning and distorted post rock gems. It's definitely not their best but after four years, I can honestly say that EITS are at the top of their game. "The Birth and Death of the Day" is possibly the greatest track that you'll hear all year.
9/10

Mar 3, 2007 09:48:28

Review 6 of 7

4of 5 Stars

"The Birth and Death of the Day" is an classic work of instrumentation- I can't remember the last time a song truly kicked my ass, but this sure did.

The only real smudge on this album is that "Birth and Death" is given to you at the start- everything else is just slightly lesser, but by no means unpalatable.

Pick it up- entirely worth it.

Feb 24, 2007 14:42:22

Review 7 of 7

5of 5 Stars

The first great album of 2007. Transcendent.

Feb 23, 2007 07:42:35

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