Explosions in the Sky and Do Make Say Think: A Post-Rock Discourse
April 27, 2007
Post-rock is an area of music poorly understood; the genre’s often grandiose orchestral arrangements and lack of traditional lyrics limit almost any meaningful comparison made with bands from other genres. In the last few years however, the post-rock community has seen a tremendous resurgence, led by Texan band, Explosions In The Sky. Explosions have been responsible for the “Friday Night Lights” movie and TV show soundtrack, giving the band and the genre a great amount of exposure that could not be found on the radio or on MTV.
While Explosions may have positioned themselves as the face of the franchise, Do Make Say Think, are waiting in the wings for their own chance at national recognition. Both bands have built impressive catalogs to their name, and this spring, both Do Make Say Think and Explosions have released new LPs. For both bands, this is their most anticipated album yet released, and while Explosions may have folded under the pressure, Do Make Say Think has provided another unique masterpiece for both the casual listener and the life-long fan. Do Make Say Think’s “You, You’re A History in Rust,” and Explosions’ “All of The Sudden I Miss Everyone” are both post-rock releases, yet they may have more differences in between them than similarities. While Explosions has continued to follow its own formula, Do Make has taken several steps forward, diversifying the sounds of their album by adding vocals as well as multiple song structures. Thus, while Do Make appears to be a band moving forward, it seems as if Explosions has fallen into a rut, and while it may be an enjoyable one, it proves to be a tedious and a boring one just the same.
“All of The Sudden I Miss Everyone” has only one truly strong song, the first of the album, entitled “The Birth And Death of The Day,” a piece that tries and succeeds in capturing the rise and the fall of the sun, the pace of the day, is full of sporadic climaxes and lulls that mirror the randomness of life within the structure of the sun’s journey across the sky. The song can also be taken to represent simultaneously the sunrise and the sunset, emphasizing the continuity of our existence and the idea that everything in the end reduces to the same common elements. While “Birth And Death,” provides such potential metaphors, other tracks do not, instead following a proven formula to easily foreseen results. Other songs on the album lack such an identity and purpose, making them seem overly long and too clearly laid out in advance.
Songs such as “What Do You Go Home To” and “It’s Natural To Be Afraid” are merely extended versions of singular guitar lines with slight variation, repeated again and again, without creating the suspense and sense of fulfillment reached in albums. “It’s
Natural To Be Afraid” stretches over 13 minutes, but it seems that if the song had been condensed to half its length, very little would have been lost, except for an overly long introduction, and an extended lull in the second half of the song. Explosions is known for their ability to create exquisite contrast between quiet solo guitar lines, and truly
“explosive” meltdowns. Whether the band expands its song writing structure, or its membership, some change is needed for Explosions to retain their title as the best post-rock band.
Do Make is the Canadian counterpart to Explosions, and instead of releasing a repetitive record, the band has presented their most inventive and satisfying album to date, creating a thought-provoking and thoroughly satisfying album. The standout tracks on the album include “A With Living” and “A Tender History In Rust.” “A With Living” sounds unlike any other song made by Do Make, it shows more similarities with the efforts of bands such as A Silver Mt. Zion or even Broken Social Scene, maintaining a more traditional song structure, while featuring lyrics that even in their obscurity help to compliment the song. Do Make also utilizes a variety of instruments on their album ranging from woodwinds, to strings, mixed with sound bytes of an improvisational nature; misplaced notes, partially decipherable comments, and sporadic laughter. The album has an organic and deeply personal feel, building a much deeper relationship between the artist and the listener. There is no formula here, there are only people making music. It seems now that it is only a matter of time before Do Make Say Think becomes recognized a talent inside and outside the post-rock community. For Explosions, such a change has already happened, but if the band hopes to maintain its large audience, they will provide their listeners with a better product next time around.