THE EARTH IS NOT A COLD DEAD PLACE

This album is remarkable. One interesting feature to note in Explosions in the Sky's music at this stage was that their sound is completely reliant on electric guitars, bass guitars, and drums. Another interesting quality to note is that the majority of this record, with the exception of track one and about half of track four, is written in triple meter. This record is very accessible, yet harmonically dense and exceptionally deep.

The first track, while probably the weakest on the album, is still an effective opener. This is the only track written entirely in common time, which Explosions in the Sky seems oddly averse to i comparison to the afforementioned triple meter. This track segues into the next one, The Only Moment We Were Alone, which is, in my opinion, the best track on this album. This track builds gradually using guitar/guitar/bass interplay into two climactic crescendos, a soft break, and then a brilliant reprise from the second crescendo into a final, climactic conclusion for which I can find no more adequate description than musical nostalgia.

The third track is almost as effective as the second. After reaching its first crescendo, the song changes directions and keys midway. The song concludes and segues into the next track, Memorial, which begins by sustaining a single tone for nearly a minute. The intro to this song, as another reviewer pointed out, is evocative of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds by the Beatles. Of the songs on the album, I found this one to be the most accessible. It contains a very strong intro, though I find the latter parts of the song a little lacking compared to the earlier.

The final track is probably the most liked on this album by the general populace. The polyrhythmic guitar interplay in the intro is extremely effective, and the music develops perfectly. My only gripe is that for the last song on the album, it seems to have a rather weak conclusion.

Speaking of conclusions, for the most part, they aren't really necessary on this album as each song segues into the next.

One of my chief complaints for Explosions in the Sky's music is that the drumming on their album often tends to be rather drab and tasteless. Fortunately, on this album, that's not the case. Whenever drums are used, they are used tastefully and appropriately. Whenever they are unnecessary, they aren't used.

This is a wonderful album with very few weakpoints. Five stars and recommended to any lover of music.

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