Over the course of almost two decades, six albums, and a multiple soundtrack explorations, Austin post-rockers Explosions In The Sky have managed to create a signature sound that has positioned them as masters in their field. So it's no surprise that the band decided, that within the five years since 2011's Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, that they would tear down their signature sound machine and rebuild it. The result is a record of new exploration in sound, in structure, and an exciting breath of fresh air for the band. The one thing that remains is the fact that Explosions In The Sky know how to create an emotional atmosphere that with or without physical visuals forces us to create our own. Each record narrates our own individual film, and that will never change.
The Wilderness adds an element of electronic composition to the wide array of sounds the band already creates using just guitars and drums. The addition of the electronics turns the direction of the record inward instead of outward and vast. The soaring sounds are present but overall the record appears as moving inward, shrinking to the microscopic, to a whisper at times.
The albums first track and its title track "The Wilderness" begin with this electronic reverberation on the smallest level that later pushes up and out of its electronic chrysalis and into a blooming movement that fades and soars as the song progresses. "The Ecstatics" takes on a similar approach beginning with an electronic intro and building into something more full yet still subtle.
The songs don't build on each other like past albums have. Each song acts on it's own, narrating it's own journey while still keeping concise in the overall theme of the record.
Songs like "Tangle Formations" and "Disintegration Anxiety" are two of the more upbeat and open songs on the record. "Tangle Formations" has building constant snare hits with blossoming and growing guitar lines that create a brighter outlook while "Disintegration Anxiety," though still building up and outward bears a colder darker side. Opening with what I describe as an electronic orchestra, and then moving from a cold depth into a nervous bass and guitar driven experience. It's colder, it's longing, it's needy.
The Wilderness is emotional. Emotional for the listener as it demands remembrance of personal fault or victory, and undoubtedly emotional for the band. The album title itself is a testament to that. The Wilderness is unknown. It's vast, it's wild, it's cold and sometimes warm, it's new and different, it's welcoming and rejecting. It's a move into something new. It's stepping out of familiarity and safety and into a new journey.
It's a frightening and exciting transformation. It will separate and challenge. It will move and inspire. It requires attention to the finer details. It's meditative.
Focus on your breathing.
The record is out now on Temporary Residence.
See the band on tour
"Disintegration Anxiety" on The Late Show
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