Explosions in The Sky: Take Care, It’s Been Fun
I absolutely love it when even after 12 years of creating music, a group of musicians can still churn the pot and create something that peels back the layers of personality further than before. Like discovering a reignited love in something, or cracking into a new level of musical ability. However, I feel with “Take Care, Take Care, Take Care” by Explosions in The Sky, there are layers still being ignored. This latest installment by the now senior Post Rock group from Austin, Texas is what should be the effort that was to kick my head into the middle of next week, built upon a decade’s worth of experience, but alas it isn’t and with good reason.
Firstly I should state that there are some great moments on the album for any in love with this group, the genre, or just plain musicianship. On “Take Care…” (or on most of the album at least) there seemed to have been a very deliberate emphasis on keeping the drum tracks rich and vibrant with the use of some very focused custom percussion and superb mixing. Quite literally some of the best production work I’ve ever heard can be witnessed throughout this album. With this and a very keen sense of movement, a song like “Human Qualities” stands out as one of the best tracks on the album, using an almost masterful level of songwriting. But by the final track “Let Me Back In”, they seemed to have forgotten everything good they were doing and made a 10 minute long track of their same old tricks. At one point in the final track I was actually hoping that it would end sooner so that it wouldn’t end on such a bad note.
Here in lies the problem with such a trial and tested group like Explosions in The Sky. How do you peel back the layers and reach that level no one has ever seen before? In essence, how do you remain the first moment you were heard by anyone? Case in point, there was rarely a point in the last ten years when I could hear one of their songs not knowing it was one of their songs, and still be able to pick them out as the authors. Their now traditional clean echo tone alone is a dead giveaway as well as their typical pace, arrangements, and sound lineup. With “Take Care…” there were moments of this new Explosions peaking though the old and for seconds revealing what may be their evolution. Moments with brilliant new tones, masterful transitions, and slick subtle techniques. But by the end everything had fallen flat in that hope and you are left with yet another, albeit solid, post rock album. And to me, that’s simply not enough for 12 year veterans.
Dakotah Cornelius
Threat Level: yellow
