Explosions in the Sky is a band that has moved beyond conventional song structures to creating their own exploratory dynamic. Call it whatever you like — a mix of symphonic rock, post-rock, instrumental rock, or any other category, but the band seems far more concerned with creating a soundscape, an atmosphere designed to envelop the listener instead of cues that lead people through a verse, chorus, verse form.
When the band released The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place in 2003, they unwittingly painted themselves into a corner, having come up with a defining masterpiece of their genre. Every subsequent album over the past eight years has suffered the extreme misfortune of not being that record, with the music inevitably getting compared unfavorably with The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place. With their sixth album Take Care Take Care Take Care, Explosions in the Sky have done it again: crafted a technically impressive, incredibly intricate album that doesn’t quite measure up to their best work.
This is not to say that Take Care isn’t a wonderful record, because it is. The usual arrays of beautiful arrangements are all here, melodic and undulating, yet somehow defying sonic convention. The problem is that for the first half of the record, the band seems a bit asleep at the wheel, meandering through long stretches that build and build but go nowhere, unlike the back half of the album that seems more purposeful.
“Human Qualities” hits a silent moment about three minutes into the song, like a piece of symphonic music pausing for a change in movements, but though the sounds are gorgeous they dissipate without leaving an impression. The following track “Trembling Hands” is a rare short song for the band, and while the increased urgency of a shorter running time helps, there’s something about it that feels unexplored.
The last few tracks showcase the best the band has to offer, with soaring, luminous guitar work and freight train rhythmic intensity. “Postcard From 1952” is the album standout, layering a hypnotic dual guitar melody that plays off the drums in a beautiful rise to an emotional finish. “Be Comfortable, Creature” is thrilling as well, beginning with soft, floating guitar work — yet another Explosions in the Sky song that feels up in the clouds and ethereal. Without lyrics and with expansive song structure, there is nothing quite like an enthralling Explosions in the Sky track that draws a listener into the fold only to surround him with bombastic and colorful touches that come together with the skill of classical musicians.
Take Care Take Care Take Care transports listeners to another world in every song, building, making and shifting constantly to create complex musical landscapes. It just barely falls short of the band’s high watermark, which doesn’t discredit the great work here. There is somewhere to go in this genre, which speaks to Explosion in the Sky’s quality, but they’re still living down the fact that they may have peaked creatively very early in their career.
Final Grade: B+