Explosions in the Sky Hit the Congress

By Marcus Gilmer in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 1, 2008 9:16PM

We've loved Explosions in the Sky and their panoramic rock for a long time. We think Chuck Klosterman said it best: "if you play Explosions in the Sky loud enough, the process of hanging drywall can be a life-altering experience." After listening to our favorite album of theirs (The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place) while painting a few weekends ago, we tend to agree. Unfortunately, the band had, for a time, been known more for an alleged (and incorrectly so) 9-11 related record cover than for their outstanding artistic output.

But thanks to their inclusion in the soundtracks to both the film and television version of Friday Night Lights, EITS have gotten some well-deserved attention and distanced themselves from that unfortunate Snopes-worthy story. Their epic instrumentals sweep from a quiet hush to powerful, almost bombastic peaks, at times reminiscent of Mogwai without the singing. While some fans and indie hipsters may scoff at the band associating itself with such mainstream fare, Explosions in the Sky is the perfect accompaniment to the equally bombastic and dramatic heights of drama on FNL. It's music that breathes a life of it's own, completely different than so many stale 3-minute pop songs that dominate the industry today, and it begs you to crank the volume up as high as it can go.

MP3: Explosions In The Sky "Your Hand In Mine"

Explosions in the Sky plays tonight with Lichens at the Congress Theatre, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., 8 p.m., $15, tickets are still available

Image of Explosions in the Sky taken from the band's MySpace page