Explosions in the Sky w/Eluvium @ Numbers, Houston, 03/07/07

Last night was the Explosions in the Sky show with Eluvium opening and it was glorious. This was my third time seeing Explosions play and every time they put all of their energy into making the music come alive on stage, it is breath-taking. They're so focused on the music and don't break the atmosphere by talking onstage especially in between the songs. They keep strumming while playing with the pedals in between songs making a lovely connected set.

I underestimated people and thought I could get a good spot if I arrived at the venue an hour before doors opened, but when I got there, there had to be at least 100 people already lined up sitting, talking to each other from the door to the parking lot. As a photographer I was in a rough spot, there were three tall and I mean tall guys in front of me, but as a show goer, I enjoyed the show immensely. So all the photos I took have peoples' heads in them and blurry faces, I'm really really sorry, after all this is half a photography blog!

Which means if you're going to see them arrive maybe an hour and a half or two hours early if you can! Plus, I love getting there early so I can hear bands warm up from outside the venue, it's just a neat feeling for some reason, I heard "Welcome, Ghosts" while I was waiting outside of Numbers it was at that moment that it really sunk in that I was going to see Explosions in mere minutes!

Eluvium the opening band, which is also on Explosion's label Temporary Residence Ltd. will be touring with Explosions for the rest of the tour. I feel his set didn't settle too well with the audience. A lot of people acted as if it was background music talking on their cell phone, texting, playing solitaire on their PDA?!, talking to their friends really loudly...all while someone is onstage playing music for them, just makes me mad just thinking about it.

Matthew Cooper of Eluvium stayed on the right side of the stage and I think that threw people off since about 75% of the audience standing in the left and middle part couldn't see where the music was coming from. I picked up a copy of his new album Copia and it is amazing and beautiful music...if only the audience knew what they missed!

From the moment Explosions played their first notes to the end of the set the audience was in rapture. I'm not exactly sure of the setlist and order, but they did play "Catastrophe and the Cure", which is possibly my favorite song off their new album. They did have an electric Yamaha keyboard out for the songs with piano parts and also Munaf (guitarist) plays a single drum that's placed in the front of the stage; it was one of the coolest parts of the shows to see him drum so energetically. They also played of course "First Breath After Coma", "Yasmin The Light" and "The Only Moment We Were Alone". They probably played one or two more new songs off their new album, All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone, but I don't want to name any songs unless I'm sure.

In "The Only Moment We Were Alone" there was one part where the crowd started clapping along with the drums, I always loved things like that, crowd participation makes you realize that everyone around you in that very room has something in common with you, the love for the same band. I remember after "Yasmin The Light", someone said, "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen," referring to a certain part in that song where Michael James (bassist) and Mark Smith (guitarist) just shred their instruments in sync as if there were no tomorrow. I have to give it to Numbers for their amazing lighting, beautiful, beautiful sound and air conditioning/fans to clear out the smoke! Thank you so much!

Explosions also have new merch on board for this tour including the most beautiful tee shirt designs you've ever seen. What's available are I think a total of five tee shirt designs all printed on American Apparel, all of their four albums, a tote bag and two LPs! Try and buy merch before the show so you can get the size that you want!

There isn't much to say except this: if you want a truly, good show please do yourself a favor and go see Explosions in the Sky. If you do, it will be the best show you'll see this year.

For tour dates and where to buy tickets, click here and check back often if your city/country isn't on there just yet! For more photos you can go here, but I have to say they are not my best.

Download {7 days} + Purchase:

{We use yousendits, which we usually replace with sendspace files that won't expire, but for the song we're uploading by Explosions In The Sky we will only have it available for the 7 days. Please buy the album, you'll only be giving yourself the best album of 2007 and that doesn't sound too bad right?}

Catastrophe and the Cure | Explosions In The Sky

Prelude For Time Feelers | Eluvium


Links:

>>> Explosions In The Sky's Official Site
<<< Tour dates and where to buy tickets
>>> Explosions In The Sky's Unofficial MySpace
>>> Purchase All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
>>> Eluvium's Official Site
<<< Eluvium's Unofficial MySpace
<<< Purchase Copia

~anne

New Release: Explosions In The Sky returns with All of A Sudden I Miss Everyone

We have waited two and a half years for another album to satisfy our hunger of new songs, new cover art, a new shiny jewel case, new sounds to sit by the speakers and today is that very day. Today is the day you are going to walk yourself to a record store and pick up All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone. It isn't only this particular album that will make anyone in the vicinity of the speakers immediately realize they have found true {music} love, but it is this particular band that will truly change your life.

No Natalie Portman you got it all wrong, the answer is not The Shins. It is Explosions in the Sky! Now this band is made up of only four people armed with only the basic two guitars, one bass, a set of drums, but they can create a cinematic-like sound that seems to fill up the Milky Way and beyond into the infinite, endless space.

Their music climbs, crashes, burns and then gets smothered quietly into soft strokes of lullabies...have you ever heard a guitar whisper? It is as if they reached out with gigantic hands and waved across the sky, blurring the blues, reds, yellows, whites of clouds, those gray days, those rainy days, those Sundays, the sunsets, the sunrises, the many lunar phases, all in all smudging reality, filling the empty spaces left with pieces of their own dreams. They show us what will be the loudest and the quietest moments of our lives. They re-create planet Earth for an hour or two. You'll find when listening to them, time will become irrelevant since they seem to have found the power to make the hands of a clock slow or speed up and in the most heart-wrenching moments...they'll make time stop.

So now that I have either embarrassed myself or enticed some sort of curiosity...let's talk about their new album.

All Of A Sudden I Will Miss Everyone has a theme of solitude and the songs represent that theme for the most part, what I mean is don't be surprised when the first few seconds of their album makes their grand entrance by a towering, looming distortion storm cloud. You can't recognize the quiet parts without knowing what loudness sounds like anyways. This is their fourth album and is the follow-up to their 2003 album, The Earth Is Not A Dead Cold Place. Their new album was produced by John Congleton (The Paper Chase). The album was written in their hometown, Austin and recorded in the summer wilderness of Minnesota last year. The beautiful artwork is done by Esteban Ray who is not a stranger to their music, he drew the artwork for their first and third album.

What makes this album different than their last three? The melodies are allowed more time to elaborate, uncovering new ways to manipulate the main melody. There is also a new instrument welcomed into the fold, a piano is used frequently throughout the album, but it's more prominent in "What Do You Go Home To?" and "So Long, Lonesome". They use the piano just as a good post-rock band should, playing the piano as a way to make a sound have a texture. The soft falling of the notes sound like raindrops drumming on the pavement or pitter-pattering against your bedroom window. That softer sound contrasts with the harsher instruments such as the crashing of the cymbals or Chris's flurried drumming. On "Catastrophe and the Cure" there is a 'chorus' or rather frequent melody in it, in which they synchronized the drumming with the ascending guitar notes and it's breathtaking, like watching a flower bloom or an airplane takeoff.

If you want more info about Explosions In The Sky's current tour read our Anticipate: Explosions in the Sky's gearing up for a long tour for new album post. There's also another post titled, Why You Should Listen To: Explosions In The Sky, which is like an introductory post to anyone new to Explosions In The Sky, it summarizes their last three albums, talks about the history of Explosions, a bit of information on their new album, it's basically me trying to again, explain their 'greatness'.

For anyone who is in Houston and subscribes to the Houston Chronicle, flip to today's Entertainment section, I wrote a short review of their new album on the Yo! page. The Yo! page is all written by teenagers and is in the Entertainment section every Tuesday.

I will also be attending their Houston show at Numbers on Wed. March 7th with Eluvium opening. So if you haven't bought your tickets, you should probably do that before they sell out!

***Someone tell Pitchfork they made another mistake by giving this album a mere 6.0 when it really deserves a 9.0+, preferably the big 10.0, but I'm not going to be that demanding. Really Pitchfork...a 6.0? Not exactly sure why Explosions would reinvent their sound when it works so well and anyways even that is your reason, they did change a few things with this album.***


Stream + Download + Purchase:

{Click on play button to stream, song title to download & band name to purchase}

Welcome, Ghosts| Explosions in the Sky

Links:

>>> Explosions in the Sky's Official Site
<<< Buy All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
>>> Full list of tour dates and links to buy tickets
<<< (great) Explosions in the Sky fansite (footage&audio of live shows, frequent updates)
>>> Interview w/Michael & Munaf on new album, 2004 tour by A Slice of The Shiny
<<< Eluvium's Official Site

~anne

Anticipate: Explosions in the Sky gearing up for a long tour for new album

We were promised a tour by Explosions in the Sky and since that early November news, it's now time for the tour to kick off! 2007 is sounding better everyday with new albums, upcoming tours and the crazy festival lineups we're seeing coming out. EITS will start their tour in Brooklyn on Feb. 19th at Warsaw and then jet to Europe for the rest of February and come back to the US for a nice, long tour.

They're actually going to revisit Europe two times during the tour to give fans a chance to see them if they missed them the first time around and if that's not forgiving enough, you get a third chance to see them at All Tomorrow's Parties VS. The Fans at Somerset with a nice lineup of Modest Mouse, The Books, Band of Horses, Do Make Say Think, Built to Spill, Grizzly Bear and more! For a full list of tour dates and links to buy tickets go here. For everyone in Japan, Taiwan and Australia, hold in those complaints:

We are also really excited that we will be playing the Coachella festival for the first time (in April), and All Tomorrow's Parties again (in May). There will likely be other festivals in the summer, and we're working on tour dates for later in the year as well, including Japan and Taiwan and Australia, we hope.

Two beautiful things happening on Feb. 20th, their new album, All of A Sudden I Miss Everyone will release for the US and Canada and they also will play on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, so that will be interesting to see how they try to shorten their set, but here is how it'll debut for the rest of the world:

Feb. 2nd Japan (Human Highway Records)
Feb. 17th Australia (Spunk Records)
Feb. 19th Europe (Bella Union)

To buy the album with the remix CD shop at an independent record store in your neighborhood and not at the big chain stores, we're told that they won't have that special version available. The remix features Four Tet, Adem, Jesus, Mountains, Eluvium and The Paper Chase each remaking a song off the new EITS album. Eluvium and The Paper Chase will join EITS on tour for most of the dates.

For more information on their upcoming tour, EITS keeps fans with a mailing list and their homepage, to sign up for their mailing list scroll to the bottom of their site. For more information on the history of Explosions in the Sky, downloads, short gists on each album on their discography and details of their new album, please visit our post or mail it to a friend who you think might like EITS, but haven't gotten around to listening to them: Why you should listen to Explosions in the Sky.

There is also a great interview with Munaf (guitarist) and Michael (bassist) on A Slice of the Shiny, you can listen and download it here. They talk about their exhaustive tour in 2004, where Munaf actually passed out at a show in Belgium and also discusses how the albums parallel what has happened with Explosions in the Sky since they formed in 1999:

Well, I think each album has had it's own theme. For example, we're four records in now, so our first record, "How Strange, Innocence", it was quite that, it was a very innocent attempt, at making music and writing an album, we were very young and almost naive to an extent.

Then we moved onto the next record, "Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live " which was very war-oriented and that became it's theme, a lot of marching, the idea of battle.

From that, we moved to "The Earth Is Not A Dead, Cold Place", which was our version of a romantic album, we wanted to write love songs, this was our version of love songs and then it came to this one, "All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone", which was this feeling of solitude and loneliness and I think that that is possibly something maybe in our subconscious we were really feeling and experiencing over the last couple years.

Because like I said, we went from everyday being in a new city, being surrounded by a lot of people just in the days of hundred miles of an hour, just stopping. And It became quite silent. In all of our rooms, in kind of in our lives, it was by our own volition, we wanted it to stop, and so that's where we were...all of a sudden I miss everyone. It was this long feeling of loneliness and what have you, so that was the kind of progression in what has led us to this point. Now, with the next album, well I don't know, we'll see when we get to that point.

Each of the records, they relate to the moment, the time because that's what we're feeling, innocence to war to love to loneliness and so on.

Stream + Download + Purchase:

Welcome, Ghosts| Explosions in the Sky

Links:

>>> Explosions in the Sky's Official Site
<<< Pre-order All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
>>> Full list of tour dates and links to buy tickets
<<< (great) Explosions in the Sky fansite (footage&audio of live shows, frequent updates)
>>> Interview w/Michael & Munaf on new album, 2004 tour by A Slice of The Shiny
<<< Eluvium's Official Site
>>> The Paper Chase's Official Site


~anne

sights and sounds

Forget the big budget super bowl ads and the talking animals from insurance companies, the commercials below feature some of our favourite artists. While some of these songs are less than a minute long and will never see the light of day, you can't help but turn up the volume when they come up. Some may say musicians are selling out by putting their songs in commercials, but I say it's a good way to get some exposure without actually putting your name out there. Yeahh know what I mean!?

Below are the videos if you haven't seen them yet. And downloads for each song, so you can finally play them over and over again and not having to channel surf.


Cat Power
According to Matador records, Chan has no plans of releasing these songs, but with another Covers record coming up this summer, we're praying that she includes at least one of these in there. But for now, were stuck with these snippets.




How Can I Tell You ( Cat Stevens Cover) - Cat Power





Hanging on the Telephone (Nerves Cover) - Cat Power



Explosions in the Sky

Although a Cadillac is not exactly our dream car Explosions in the Sky is our dream band so we're okay that they're just paying the bills, because we get two commercials that we will actually want to turn up the volume. One commercial features "Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean" and another "Your Hand In Mine", both songs are from their latest album The Earth Is Not A Dead Cold Place. Don't forget February 20th is when their new album, All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone comes out!







Your Hand In Mine - Explosions in the Sky

Of Montreal
You've all seen Outback Steakhouse's ad with the catchy jingle "Let's go Outback tonight.." You've probably figured out by now that's it's actually Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games) but Outback's cover version. According to Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes, "We thought it would be totally amusing to hear their take on one of our songs as a jingle." I seriously wouldn't mind Outback playing Of Montreal songs while I'm having one of their famous bloomin onion.





Wraith Pinned To The Mist (and other games) - Of Montreal



Adem Ilhan and Megan Wyler
Separate full versions of this cover song are not available anywhere. If you do find them, email them to us!! Adem Ilhan of the band Four Tet and Megan Wyler sing two different versions of Walk The Line, but in the commercial below, the two are combined. The ad works too, it makes me wanna buy those skinny straight jeans like now!!





Walk The Line (Johnny Cash) - Adem Ilhand and Megan Wyler



-Anne and Charlie

2007 Here we go.

foto by: Charlie


With 2006 out of the way, Camera Crowd's excited and ready to see what's instore in '07. 2006 was filled with great albums, more than our blog can handle which is why we had to shorten our best of 2006 list. Forget resolutions, nobody keeps them anyway, it's about going forward without looking back and allowing everything to unfold right before you.

So put on your headphones, press play, and let time fly by.

Happy New Year - Camera Obscura

Day One - Explosions in the Sky

Wait and See - Donovan Woods



-love,Team Camera Crowd
(Anne and Charlie

Oh I'm Happy When It Rains [Playlist]

Photo by: Andre Gallant

Ignoring freak snow storms, the start of November or the week of Thanksgiving is usually the start of rainy/snowy season. For as long as I can remember, I've been a "rain, rain don't go away.." kid. I totally prefer the rain over a nice sunny day. Sunny summer days just give me headaches and makes me grumpy. There's something about the sights and sounds of the rain that makes it so beautiful. And there's nothing else besides music and a warm sweater that would perfectly go along with the rainy weather.

I've put together several songs that would have your senses thanking you during those wintery days. Most of these songs have little or nothing to do with the rain, but each and every one of them is soothing to the ears just like a warm cup of real green tea flowing down your throat(not that snapple/arizona crap).

And one more thing, before you carve that big turkey/tofurky of yours, think about the less fortunate who aren't having a big meal this thanksgiving. Try and help out the less fortunate by donating canned goods at your local supermarket. Or if you wanna go further, help out on Thanksgiving day at your local soup kitchen, it's only for a couple of hours on Thanksgiving morning. I did just that a couple of years ago and volunteered at a local church in San Francisco and served food to the homeless. So do what you can, there are millions out there who are starving right now, even the people who don't celebrate Thanksgiving, even one can of stuffings can make a difference.


Happy When It Rains playlist


1. Happy When It Rains - The Jesus & Mary Chain
2. A.M slow golden hit - Hotel Lights
3. Rain And Sun - We Will Build
4. Say - Cat Power
5. Leaving Philadelphia - Denison Witmer
6. Some kind of Chill - Arizona
7. Day Six - Explosions in the Sky
8. Wraith Pinned To The Mist And Other Games - Of Montreal
9. Warmest Part Of The Winter - Voxtrot
10. Acid Tongue (Live) - Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins



-Charlie

Why you should listen to Explosions in the Sky

∞

*latest update on 11/22*

At first, I was going to make a post titled: The Music Lover's Guide to the {good} Instrumental/Post-Rock Bands and I even typed up intro paragraphs to a brief history of instrumental/post-rock bands, but once I started typing about my favorite instrumental band, Explosions in the Sky, I couldn't stop.

It became a bit too long to add on four or five more bands, considering that would probably turn the reader into a zombie, who will then proceed to drool on the keyboard over the text-heavy entry. So I will take this one instrumental band at a time. Although, I will confess right now that I don't know any other instrumental bands as thoroughly as I know of Explosions.

Explosions in the Sky

Munaf Rayani (guitar)

Mark Smith (guitar)
Michael James (bass)
Chris Hrasky (drums)

Oh, Explosions in the Sky my first instrumental band and one of my favorite bands ever. Somehow Austin bands are drop dead amazing. Their first album, How Strange Innocence was recorded in 2000 with only 300 copies made. It was released on the label Sad Loud America and now they are signed onto Temporary Residence Limited and molding the modern instrumental movement(if there were a movement, they would be the forerunners, promise). From the evolution of a span of six rewarding years: three full-length albums to one EP and two compilations; it is safe to say they have earned their place in the ever-growing/changing instrumental genre-land.

Who is this Explosions you talk of?...
If you are new to Explosions, you should start with their latest album, The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place, go backwards discography-wise. Don't worry, I will have a discography chart at the end of the entry. You may have heard Explosions and not even know it, they were pretty much the whole soundtrack in the movie, Friday Night Lights. They wrote new songs for the movie and yes, the {good taste in} music supervisor was Brian Reitzell(Marie Antoinette/Stranger Than Fiction). There is also a recent Cadillac commercial with "Six Days at the Bottom of the Ocean"and "Your Hand in Mine". By the way, the TV series Friday Night Lights is nothing like the movie. So watch the movie and immerse yourself in a good plot/acting and music!

Something cool...
Their whole The Rescue: Travel in Constants Vol. 21 EP is available for download here(click on the album with the Lassie look-a-like and there will be a popup with mp3s), since there were limited copies to this Temporary Residence EP series. This was the first time they recorded something themselves and every song on there was made up on the spot! It took them two weeks to finish it, with eight days for improv and rest for mixing and messing round with tracks. This E.P. also shows Explosions in a different light, recording by themselves in Michael's house, the shorter songs, improvisation and using different instruments. There is a sense of hope on this E.P., a lightness that was on their 2000 debut album.

What they're doing now...
They recently finished up recording their fourth album in Minnesota and it should come out either in late February or early March. *on February 20th in the US and on the 19th for the UK and rest of Europe. The album is called All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone and clocks in at 44 minutes long with six songs on tracklist.* It was produced by John Congleton who also produced The Earth is Not A Cold Dead Place. They're playing at the Drift in Los Angeles tomorrow night and have just announced new tour dates for, Brooklyn, New York City, London, Brussels and hinted a future North American tour. Get tour dates here or scroll towards bottom for the dates. They also have a pre-sale to avoid the crazy surcharges for the Brooklyn show at Warsaw and the Wordless Music Series in New York City, hurry before the public gets their hands on them on Nov. 15th.

*I found some more info on Explosion's new album, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone from a Pitchfork news entry. The album will have a limited edition and deluxe versions bundled up with six remixes from Four Tet, Eluvium, Adem, Jesu, Mountains and John Congleton's own Paper Chase. You can hear what will be the second track, "Welcome, Ghosts" of their new album here. Here is the tracklisting...

All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone | Explosions in the Sky

1. The Birth and Death of the Day
2. Welcome, Ghosts
3. It's Natural to Be Afraid
4. What Do You Go Home To?
5. Catastrophe and the Cure
6. So Long, Lonesome

The bonus disc (sweet!)

1. The Birth and Death of the Day (Jesu remix)
   
2. Welcome, Ghosts (Adem remix)
   
3. It's Natural to Be Afraid (The Paper Chase remix)
   
4. What Do You Go Home To? (Mountains remix)
   
5. Catastrophe and the Cure (Four Tet remix)
   
6. So Long, Lonesome (Eluvium remix)
   

More Cowbell has an entry on Explosion's new album and has a larger photo of the album's art cover!

About them live...
I have seen them twice live. Their sets are usually about an hour long and they play without stopping. No small talk on stage, these guys play straight through. Adjusting pedals and strings inbetween songs, but its hardly noticeable with the distortion and just single-note strumming leading into the next song. They don't just stand there and play, they jump, their hands crash against the strings, they crawl on stage, they nurse the sounds and release them into the air, they come alive. It is the most awful thing to miss an Explosions show, and it is the most beautiful thing to attend one.

Discography:

Sad Loud America/Temporary Residence Ltd. (2000/2005) How Strange, Innocence Explosions with a heap of distortion and then some. But it has this "lightness" as they mention on the liner notes. Sounds as if it's underwater, the distortion if anything highlights the lighter parts and those moments of clarity is the beauty of the album. It really does remind me of the ocean, like the new artwork by Esteban Rey interprets it: the see/sea-saw turbulence and then the calmness of the ocean after a storm. Best song on there, "Look Into the Air" hands down, the beginning is ineffable.

Temporary Residence Ltd. (2001) Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever A metamorphosis, no lightness, just dark. Complete pitch black dark and confusion, what an album. At times, they sound like a noisy Mogwai and pull a complete switchup to minimal Godspeed You! Black Emperor feel. There are also clips inserted in "Have You Passed Through This Night?", a voice-over, sound of a gunshot, a line taken from the movie The Thin Red Line". Even unfolding the sleeve there is a drawing of a plane that says, "This plane will crash tomorrow". A lot of cymbal riding and resonating even after songs have ended. The drums are incredibly important in Explosions, not just to keep rhythm or be background noise. The distortion here is well-placed! This album...when it's loud, it's LOUD and then its so quiet you feel like you're in a church.

Temporary Residence Ltd. (2003) The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place Like a white wall from far away, but close up with so many subtle nuances. Their sound has evolved so much, but we can still hear ten seconds of it and say its an Explosions album. It is an extremely minimalistic stripped down, bare-bones album, hardly any distortion. Their most accessible and popular album. Their well known songs like "First Breath After Coma" and "Your Hand in Mine" are on here. I love "Six Days At the Bottom of the Ocean" and "Memorial" along with the rest. This is a long album with each song over the 8 minute mark. It is truly so epic and heart-clenching. If this isn't beautiful, I don't know what is.

Current Tour dates:

02-19 Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw
02-20 New York, NY - Society for Ethical Culture Concert Hall (Wordless Music Series)
02-26 Brussels, BEL - AB Box/Ancienne Belgique
03-01 London, UK - KoKo's
03-11 Sunrise, FL - Langerado Music Festival - Markham Park

Downloads&purchase:

...from How Strange, Innocence

Look Into The Air | Explosions in the Sky

...from Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever

A Poor Man's Memory | Explosions in the Sky

...from The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place

Memorial | Explosions in the Sky


Links:

>>> Explosions in the Sky's Official Site
<<< Download The Rescue EP (click on bottom left album for mp3s)
>>> Buy Explosions in the Sky's albums
<<< I live in New York, where's the pre-sale?
>>> Read synopsis on Friday Night Lights
<<< Hear new song, "Welcome, Ghosts"!

~anne