If there were a perfect album, it would sound very close to The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place by Explosions In The Sky. While not new, this album serves as a great fallback album when the music market is waiting for its next big release. Explosions In The Sky is a Texas-based post-rock band that deals heavily in long, melodic jam sessions, which in this humble reviewer’s opinion, can suit just about any situation, whether it be beautiful sunrises, romantic encounters, or starry nights.
The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place starts with the astonishingly well titled “First Breath After Coma” which carries the spirits with a burbling guitar and drum background which is complimented by a soft, yet resolute lead guitar. Despite being almost ten minutes long, this song remains captivating throughout as the tone of the song changes several times. Like every song on this album, the transition from “First Breath After Coma” to “The Only Moment We Were Alone” is gradual. The only noticeable change happening is a transition in pace and a focus on a growing guitar part.
For this song and the following ballad, “Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean,” the beat is expressive, despite a lack of any vocals for the entire album. Where the second song is much more emboldening and cheerful, the third song is much more pensive and brooding. While not my favorite song on the album, this song has a beautiful dual guitar part that echoes of many two part “solos” found in some elaborate classic orchestral pieces. Near the halfway point, this song begins to crescendo up into a frenzy of emotions, which then tapers off beautifully into “Memorial.”
“Memorial” brings forth sad, solemn memories with its echoing beginning, and it is in this song that the true genius of the band can be heard. There is an element of sincerity and purpose to each song as if the writer is personally opening up to the listener through the music. Even as the tempo quickens, the original hallowed feeling of the song remains.
If there were any song that I could listen to for the rest of his life, it would be the final song, “Your Hand In Mine.” The carefully timid beats start soft, then progressively grow into a marching force of intoxicating rhythms, which are truly harmonic with the emotion of the song. For the finale, the song rises with fervor, and then dies off slowly into the melodious quiet.
My advice is three words long: “Buy This Album.” With any luck, it will be discovered by even more music fans and it too will rise into the ranks of what will soon be “classic” music. As for flaws, sometimes it seems to grow stagnant based upon the mood, though this can be relieved by just relaxing and falling in deeper to the music.
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