The debate of originality/plagiarism in the genre seems to be a frequently discussed topic when it comes to post-rock. “Band X are a bunch of Band Y rip-offs”… “Band Y stole from Band Z, who stole from Slint”… “Godspeed You Black Emperor are so ***ing original and unique”…repeat ad nauseam. Can we not all just please shut the *** up and enjoy some beautiful music for Christ’s sake?! I’m well aware that I’m hypocritically perpetuating this pointless discourse in these first two introductory paragraphs, but honestly it’s relevant to Texan post-rockers Explosions in the Sky and their fifth full-length album ‘Take Care, Take Care, Take Care’.
EitS are one of the most prominent bands in the genre, having sound tracked much of both the film, and the TV series, ‘Friday Night Lights’, while ‘The Birth and Death of Day’ featured in BBC documentary, ‘The Lost Land of the Jaguar’. More importantly however, they are often cited as something of a gateway band into the genre, as well as to instrumental music in general. It is therefore inevitable that they will become an easy target for accusations of unoriginality. In the strictest sense, no, they are not original or unique – their formula of sparse notation, pretty guitar lines woven over other pretty guitar lines supported by marching-band snare patterns as they swell to thicker guitar tones and timbres, and crashing drums can be likened to a plethora of bands. It is also a formula that is replicated on this album. However, the band’s ability to conjure emotions and images is almost beyond parallel. So much so, that attempting to write about it in an objective, tangible sense is almost redundant. With that being said, on with the review…
Considering the Texan quartet’s previous demonstrations of startling sensitivity, it is somewhat underwhelming that ‘Take Care…’ never really reaches the same peaks of human emotion found in tracks such as ‘Your Hand in Mine’, ‘Yasmin the Light’, or ‘Catastrophe and the Cure’, just to name a few. Rather than being direct and focussed, ‘Take Care…’ tends to take a more meandering route. The first two tracks are particularly unassuming, never really grabbing your undivided attention, though they are certainly pretty enough.
‘Last Known Surroundings’ seemingly swells with beauty as it skips along, briefly becoming sparser before regaining its full density by the end of the track; while
‘Human Qualities’ drops to near silence before several separate melodies captivatingly spawn out of the quiet before the song’s intense conclusion. Unfortunately both songs sound like muted versions of the bands previous work – the former takes cues from ‘The Birth and Death of Day’, while the latter could have been a ‘Those Who Tell The Truth…’ b-side.
A major difference on ‘Take Care…’ is the relatively restrained use of entrancing, though predictable, crescendos. Their absence distinguishes ‘Take Care…’ from previous EitS releases, giving it an overall peaceful, mesmerising quality. This also emphasises the few isolated occasions when the band do veer from soft and gentle to harsher sounds. For example, the comparatively dense and crushing last minute of the aforementioned ‘Human Qualities’ is enjoyable and surprising, though not too abrupt; while the second half of
‘Postcard From 1952’ focuses on a thicker-textured version of the song’s first half. However, these moments of force are rare, and while the band’s avoidance of predictable crescendos is commendable, the rather one-dimensional dynamics threaten to allow monotony to set in; portray a fairly limited range of emotion; and largely fail to create tension.
Although, ‘Take Care…’ may not be EitS’ most emotionally engaging album or their most eventful, that’s not to say it is a bad album – at all. The toned-down dynamics, while inevitably restrictive, give the individual tracks on the album fluidity unparalleled by any of the band’s previous work. Furthermore, each song, though individually discernible, flows pleasantly into the next in an almost hypnotic fashion. You can almost feel yourself getting gradually more lost in ‘Postcard from 1952’, as the guitars aurally waltz with the listener, though it constantly builds in intensity.
In some ways, ‘Take Care…’ is actually a progression for EitS. 2006’s ‘All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone’ saw the band beginning to experiment with piano parts similar to previous touring-mate, Eluvium. Fast forward five-years and ‘Take Care…’ sees the band experimenting further with sampled vocals on several tracks. The ghostly, distant vocals and piano chords on album closer
‘Let Me Back In’ create a more obvious ethereal feel than anywhere else on the album, subtle, though they are. The most immediate example of experimentation however, is the short, condensed
‘Trembling Hands’. To put it bluntly, ‘Trembling Hands’ with its driving drum-beat, handclaps, gasping vocals is what much of Mogwai’s ‘Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will’ should have sounded like. The song jerks from one movement to another, though such transitions never feel too forced. Despite its short length it is one of the most accomplished songs on the album.
Individually, each member of the band does their respective job well, though the album fails to produce a moment of stark, memorable beauty like, say, ‘Your Hand in Mine’. EitS generally follow the previously noted formula of song writing featured on previous albums, though with a few slight modifications – namely a reduction in dynamics, and more intricate drumming. In fact, ‘Take Care…’ may very well be drummer, Christopher Hrasky’s finest album to date. Though he is less forceful than on previous albums, his playing seems more calmly measured, and its subtlety and intricacy beautifully compliment the more unassuming nature of the album. In particular, the steady rhythm augmented by ghost notes in ‘Let Me Back In’ is a joy to listen to and it also allows the guitars to soar freely. The guitars are therefore at the forefront of the music, and though never truly taking your breath away, they are still nearly as beautiful as you might expect from the Texan quartet.
Having released five full-length albums, all of which follow a similar pattern, it is probable that on album number 5, many will accuse Explosions in the Sky of unoriginality, plagiarism, and tedium. Fortunately this is not the case. While it is true that the album is clearly an Explosions in the Sky album, and yes, it does weave pretty guitar lines over pretty guitar lines before swelling to thicker guitar tones etc., ‘Take Care…’ is accomplished enough to stand on its own. The band have traded dynamic range for fluidity and ultimately it is a gamble that just about pays off. This ‘fluidity’ occasionally gives way to directionless meandering, but more often than not the band manage to create beautiful, mesmerising tracks for the listener to lose themselves in. It is also arguably their most decorated album to date with vocal samples featured in several tracks, and piano in one. Embellishments such as these make their respective tracks that little bit more interesting, and the album is richer for it. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the album is how unassuming it is. No one track is itself a highlight, rather they all constitute a solid album with moments of fleeting brilliance, and in ‘Take Care, Take Care, Take Care’ Explosions in the Sky have once again crafted an album every bit as comforting as its title suggests. Though ‘Take Care…’ may be one of the quieter girls at the party, she is certainly one of the prettiest.
