Post-rock Explosion in the Sky releases quality album

I passed through the checkout with two polar opposite CDs this past weekend-Explosion in the Sky's new album All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone and Meshuggah's 2005 release Catch Thirty-three.

As expected, Meshuggah's metal riffs proved to be brutal, but I found myself thinking that Explosions in the Sky's post-rock orchestrating and dynamic shifting would make the more intense live show out of the two.

Their March 13th show at Lenny's Bar is sold out, by the way. Too bad I only got the CD this past weekend, huh? Oops.

Post-rock is an interesting type of music that flies under a lot of peoples' radars. But it can be kind of difficult to explain to someone who isn't already grounded with something similar.

I suppose, in looking for a more well-known band to compare them to, Radiohead works well enough: not quite their Kid A era electronica tendencies, and certainly not their more structured earlier works, but the moments when they forsake typical rock instrument sounds and go for textures that are a little off-kilter, I mean.

Post-rock is so concerned with the integrity of its sound that it has little respect for preconceived notions on even the most basic of things.

It tries to make a guitar sound like not a guitar, a bass like not a bass, drums that feel more percussiony than drummy and keyboards that have lots of leeway for experimentation.

That being the key word, experimentation. Even singing is recognized as just another sound to be toyed with. One band, Sigur Rós, famously created its own language to perform with.

Here, Explosions in the Sky doesn't bother with a vocalist. Their sound is fine without it.

On All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, old fans will find more in the same vein as previous albums. Transitions between songs are smooth, reinforcing the idea of an album that ebbs and flows.

Too much effort has been put into the smallest details of the sound to let arbitrary stops and starts between tracks ruin the mood.

Explosions in the Sky prefers to give the music complete control over such things. But giving the music so much command also means that the individual songs end only when the music deems it necessary. There are 43 minutes worth of music spanning just six songs, so expect lengthy tracks.

I firmly believe that the best music is more than just a collection of tunes to play in between trips to Wal-Mart.

The greatest albums are experiences, and yes I know that phrase fills up my cliché quota.

Unfortunately, those of us who enjoy taking the time to listen to music without double-tasking (or triple- or quadruple-tasking, Tech kids are pretty damn good at that) are few and far between. So a lot of the better stuff out there, music that requires a bit of time, stands little chance to be appreciated by the general public who may happen to come across it. But in that respect, Explosions in the Sky has sort of a dual-natured potential.

In particular, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone stands up to close criticism while still fitting in great as background music to the world (if the listener wants no more than that). This album contains surprisingly accessible material, which is probably why there is a decent sized indie-crowd following these guys.

Because this CD has the potential for broad appeal, it is an especially good choice for those looking to branch out their tastes or for people simply seeking an album with great replay value.

Although it is a bit of a pain to find. Your best bet with this one is Borders, although I hear there is rumors on the internets that you can find it online, too.