All Of The Sudden

Album Title: 
All Of The Sudden I Miss Everyone
Band Name: 
Explosions In The Sky
Release Year: 
2007

Have you ever been in a music store and listened to what they have on the speakers? And we’re not talking about the Barnes and Noble music section. We’re talking about the local shop with the stickers on the wall and the latest single is available either on CD or 12” vinyl. It was there, in that dank basement shop, that I was confronted with the latest from the Texan group, Explosions In The Sky.

All Of The Sudden I Miss Everyone, the latest opus from Explosions, starts off by smacking you in the face with a pile of bricks. The first track erupts in gigantic chords mixed with trembling guitars that arrive in two quick punches, and then delicately backs off giving way to it’s finer melodies. Through out the album, these punches come back again and again battering through the songs. They are carefully planted so that you have had enough recovery, before you are again rocketed with their dramatic stanzas. The album on the whole, is a seamless opus of rock tunes that mix reoccurring themes and melodies. Explosions, known for their lyric-less endeavors, create seek to focus on the excitement that can be created through just their own instruments.

Although the album itself is well planned out and enjoyable to listen to (though probably better to work to, I have spent many a late night with this over our office stereo) the real highlight from this album was the companion disc of remixes. The first release of the album included a bonus disc of each song remixed by some folks as the likes of Adem, Paper chase, and Four Tet. For me, it gets really interesting listening to the mixes and learning how they picked apart the original songs, and placed them back together again. Listening to both of these albums reminds me of watching and reading Fight Club. In many ways the movie expands on the book, but the book also gives you insight that cannot be shown in the movie. These albums are both stellar when played separate and the remixes seem to enhance certain tracks, but yet the remixes could not exist with out the originals.

I’m not sure if the remixes are still available in the stores, but I’m sure you can hunt them down on itunes or the web. Also, if you need a great introduction into Explosions In The Sky, there is a FREE album available on their website called The Rescue. www.explosionsinthesky.com