Explosions in the Sky
All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Temporary Residence
Explosions in the Sky, over the course of their career, have created a sonic persona that is equal parts reflective and relaxed, and insistent and expressive. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone doesn’t do much to deviate from the blueprints laid down on previous releases, the problem is that it might spend a little too much time revisiting them. Cascading guitar lines that turn into torrential downpours of distortion, thick bass lines lumbering slowly through the rhythm of thunderous or reserved drumming… it’s all here and if you’re at all familiar with the band’s back catalog, you’ll catch snippets of the past manifesting themselves in midst of new material – which is an interesting concept for this kind of music if it’s intentional – but other, more distracting problems rear up often throughout the disc. At times the dynamic between loud and quiet feels a little forced, obvious or at least a tad graceless. There’s barely time for a build-up on “Welcome, Ghosts” before the band reaches crescendo and with this kind of music, release unavoidably falls flat without tension driving it.
Of course, all this doesn’t mean the album is disappointing, but that it’s going to be more successful at drawing in new fans who aren’t familiar with their music than keeping older listeners interested. There are a number of flourishing moments when the group strikes a brilliant chord together and the closing track, “So Long, Lonesome,” employs an underused piano to great effect, cutting through the ether of guitar reverb with a gorgeous stuttering melody. This song could be a signal of new sounds to come, but the bulk of this CD illustrates that Explosions in the Sky’s best work in the guitar-bass-drums configuration is behind them.
Temporary Residence Ltd: http://www.temporaryresidence.com
