Explosions In The Sky Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

If you’ve ever watched any amateur documentaries on anything to do with the mysteries of the universe, the chances are you’ve heard Explosions In The Sky, or at least something similar. There’s a good reason for this: the band are masters of creating a sound that hints at something much bigger than ourselves. Without lyrics to guide your thoughts, it’s down to you and your emotions to decide what it’s all about - and it can be quite a trip.

Having said that, there isn’t really anything on Take Care, Take Care, Take Care that we haven’t heard before, either from their post-rock peers like Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, or indeed from Explosions In The Sky themselves. The quiet/loud, slow-build formula is by now a well-worn path, and without the added dimension of vocals it’s a genre that can easily lose its magic after time.

Still, the real beauty of an album like this is often in the finer detail - persist long enough with Take Care and you will find plenty to enjoy. Last Known Surroundings opens the album beautifully, with a brooding guitar drone and choppy squeals of muted violins, before bursting into life with bold piano chords. I would have loved to hear them build the track around that dark intro, but it’s still deep and atmospheric, with howling feedback providing a counter for the upbeat melody. Meanwhile, Human Qualities’ soothing arpeggio is punctuated by a subtle electronic beat that is half hand-clap, half static, and it provides the track with an irresistible rhythm.

Take Care isn’t without one or two missteps: the rapid-fire drums and nondescript chanting that open Trembling Hands come off a little too much like a cheap Arcade Fire pastiche, while the overlong closing track Let Me Back In is something of an anti-climax. But these moments are thankfully rare. It’s hard to capture everything that makes this album enjoyable in a few short paragraphs, because by default Explosions In The Sky are all about progression and twists and turns. But close the curtains, dim the lights and kick back with this album and you will soon understand.