With a band as consistently exceptional and awe-inspiring as Explosions In The Sky, it's almost a trick in itself to single out any particular record from their catalog without feeling like you're playing favourites. Their 2003 entry The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place falls smack-dab in the middle of their continuing output, and it's the most concentrated encapsulation of their melodic vision as a band. Is it their best? That is certainly debatable, but there's something about this record that makes it feel like their all-time definitive statement, even if they have continued to create ever more compelling collections of moving instrumental masterpieces since.
The main thing you have to remember when approaching this album is that you're going to be moved. In some way, in some shape, in some form, you cannot fully engage with a record as vastly orchestrated as this, an album so full of direct and explosive melodic tension, without feeling something. That being said, it does reward and require a certain diligence and commitment.
Since Explosions In The Sky do not employ the use of a vocalist, the music has to speak for itself. For someone as actively engaged in musical exploration as I am, this is not a drawback at all. In a sense, the music is left out to breathe and pulse on it's own, not being obscured by someone's lyrical stamp or emotional pre-description. But, it is also that nondescript nature that sometimes turns some people off from their sound. Believe me, if you're someone who is always initially drawn in by a good vocal hook, all it takes is a few active listens before you'll forget altogether that you're not being sung to. The fact is, every song in this 5 song set has it's own lyricisms and hooks built right into the compositions. This is the nature of the album and EITS as a band, their collective creative vision can be executed in fully instrumental compositions because the music is strong enough, organic enough, melodic enough, to tell it's own story.
On The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place, Explosions In The Sky employ a basic formula of loud-soft dynamic shifts, arpeggio guitar lines, a thundering rhythm section, and lush compositional flair. To someone tuning in for the first time, you may not notice much difference between what EITS do compared to other bands of the post-rock/indie rock ilk. But of course, with repeated spins, the studied compositional nature of each song really becomes apparent. Although the record is orchestrated tightly, EITS are able to hang on to a sense of wide-open spaces and spontaneous-sounding bursts of pent-up emotion. The songs walk a taut balance between ruminative and explosive, and I don't think it's incidental that Explosions In The Sky is the band's moniker. This album manages to pack each song (none less than 8 minutes in length) with enough twists and turns to keep each of them singular and interesting, but none of them taper off so far into the ether that they become cacophonous or unwieldy. It is truly a feat that each song has it's own personality and flow, while fitting into the album's whole like puzzle pieces.
This record has such an indelible impact because it is exceptionally uplifting. Sure, there are moments of intricate despair, and washes of subtle loneliness, but as the title suggests, The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place does not wallow in the dark corners of existence. It is an album that takes every opportunity to turn despair into hope, and when the slow buildups crash into cathartic bursts, the warmth washes over you and all seems well in the world (if only for the duration of the album). The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place is the perfect place to begin your explorations if you're not yet familiar with Explosions In The Sky. If you are, but haven't got around to giving this album it's proper due, then don't hesitate another minute. Highly recommended, in all categories.
