Explosions in the Sky
Friday Night Lights (soundtrack)
(Hip-O)
Few bands demand an entire soundtrack the way Explosions in the Sky do. There are more showy bands, more contemplative ones too, but not too many can so beautifully get out of the way as the Austin-based instrumentalists. It's been easy to compare Explosions in the Sky to other ambient post-rock bands, like Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor, since last year's Earth is not a Cold Dead Place. The Friday Night Lights soundtrack, which they wrote all but three songs of, is a giant step towards establishing Explosions in the Sky as Mogwai's equal instead of their mimic.
For a movie about football, especially one that is so intense, a calm indie rock band might seem out of place. But above all else, \Friday Night Lights"" was about the incredible tension built over something simple. As a pragmatic piece of music, the songs Explosions in the Sky write work well in the movie. As a stand alone album, it's pretty good too.
The pattern Explosions in the Sky use on each song is simple. There are drawn out strokes of guitar with jangling notes placed above them, and drums and chords so rare that each becomes an event. Their music is so disperate, so lonely and loosely held together that it fits nicely in the background. But for such a thin, expansive sound, Explosions in the Sky are shockingly exciting to listen to. They are an ambient band who can hold your attention for a full album.
The three songs songs by other artists seem to follow Explosions in the Sky's lead, which is amazing, if only because Bad Company wrote their song in the seventies. But the album plays as a symphony with movements instead of completion with contributions.
It's an record which keeps showing how brilliantly Explosions in the Sky can make desolate-sounding music be. Friday Night Lights is a great album marginalized by being a soundtrack. It could easily be the best album this radio unfriendly this year.
-Joe Uchill
