| Explosions in the Sky | |
|---|---|
From left to right: Mark Smith, Michael James, Munaf Rayani, Chris Hrasky |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Austin, Texas, USA |
| Genres | Post-rock |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Temporary Residence Limited, Bella Union |
| Website | www.explosionsinthesky.com |
| Members | |
| Mark Smith Chris Hrasky Munaf Rayani Michael James |
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Explosions in the Sky is an American post-rock band from Texas. The band has garnered popularity beyond the post-rock scene for their elaborately developed guitar work, narratively styled instrumentals, what they refer to as "cathartic mini-symphonies," and their enthusiastic and emotional live shows.[1] They primarily play with three electric guitars and a drum kit, although band member Michael James will at times exchange his electric guitar for a bass guitar.[2]
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Originally called Breaker Morant, Explosions in the Sky was formed in Austin, Texas in 1999. Drummer Chris Hrasky is from Rockford, Illinois, and the rest of the band hails from Midland, Texas. The new name of "Explosions in the Sky" came from a comment Hrasky made in reference to the noise[3] or sight[4] of fireworks when they left KVRX on the night they played their first set and recorded their first track, "Remember Me as a Time of Day", that would be released on a compilation.[3] Their 2000 debut album, How Strange, Innocence, was locally distributed in the form of CD-Rs. Rehearsal footage is featured on the feature film Cicadas, which won an Austin Film Festival award.[5]
Explosions in the Sky quickly gained a reputation for themselves among other established local bands such as Lift to Experience. Temporary Residence Limited signed the band on the strength of their demo after only half a listen; the demo was submitted by fellow Austin band The American Analog Set with a brief note saying, "This totally fucking destroys."[6]
They garnered a small amount of media attention with their second album, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever, due to rumors linking it to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The band denied any connection in interviews. The album art shows an airplane with the caption "This plane will crash tomorrow." There were false reports that the last track was called "This Plane Will Crash Tomorrow" and that the album was released on September 10, 2001;[7][8] the concept had actually originated in 2000, and the album was released on August 27, 2001. Bassist Michael James was detained in an airport as a threat to security, and had to explain why his guitar contained the words "this plane will crash tomorrow".[3]
The band also received a considerable amount of attention playing before large audiences as the opening act of Fugazi's spring 2002 US tour in support of The Argument.[9]
After being contacted by Brian Reitzell, Explosions in the Sky wrote the soundtrack for the 2004 film Friday Night Lights. Despite having access to rare equipment in the studio for that project, the band kept to their songwriting style in creating original material.[10]
Their album The Rescue was written and recorded in eight days as part of the TRL Travels in Constants series. As such, the album was originally only available at the band's live shows.
Explosions in the Sky's fifth studio album, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, which debuted February 20, 2007, exists as both a one-disc version and a two-disc special edition featuring remixes by multiple artists.[11] The band began touring on February 19 in the U.S. and Canada.[12]
On April 26, 2011, the band released their sixth studio album, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care.[13]
Although the band's music deviates from pop, Hrasky said that they have similar goals "like immediately grabbing your attention and getting to your emotions."[14] Rayani said, "We don't consider ourselves post-rock at all; we consider ourselves a rock band."[15]
In a post-show interview clip on Austin City Limits, guitarist Munaf Rayani said about their status as instrumentalists, "I mean, I think we discussed singing for half a second, and then it just kinda, we just dropped it. We just didn't go back to it because we weren't comfortable enough." Drummer Chris Hrasky added, "There were a couple of instrumental bands at the time that we were heavily into: Dirty Three and Mogwai; we were listening to those bands a lot. And I think we just liked the idea of a band that there was not a leader or main songwriter, everyone collaborating and has their own say. I don't think any of us want the sort of 'leader role', so a leaderless band is kind of the best option for us."[16]
Most notably, Explosions in the Sky's music is heavily featured in the Friday Night Lights movie and television show. It is a common misconception that the band wrote and recorded the television show's theme song. Instead, it is an original composition by W.G. Snuffy Walden. Music by Explosions in the Sky has been used in several television programs and commercials: "The Birth and Death of the Day" for the BBC documentary Lost Land of the Jaguar, All the Real Girls, Shopgirl, One Tree Hill, Love the Beast and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, as well as various songs for the PBS documentary The Street Stops Here.
Their song "Six Days at the Bottom of the Ocean" is also featured in the narrative sports documentary series 24/7 Mayweather vs. De La Hoya.
Another song, "Catastrophe and the Cure" is used during the intro to Get Collins, an Irish documentary on Michael Collins and the film Kaboom by director Gregg Araki in which the male lead is also given a signed copy of All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone as a birthday gift.
In 2009, their song "First Breath After Coma" is used for the introduction of feature presentations on the television network, Versus. The song is also used in the trailer for the Steve Hwang directed documentary Focus.
The song "The Only Moment We Were Alone" is shortly featured in Michael Moore's documentary Capitalism: A Love Story.
The song "The Birth and Death of the Day" was used by soccer team FC Barcelona in a promo video "At the Gates of Wembley" to motivate the fans and alike prior to the 2011 Champions League Final.
The song "Your Hand in Mine" is featured in the films Paul Blart Mall Cop, The Big Empty (short film) and "Love Happens"
The song "Glittering Blackness" is featured in the film "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past".
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