Proud Texans

Every so often a well-established band will put out music that, for one reason or another, goes virtually unheard. It's especially surprising when much of the material on releases like these give proper full length records a run for their money. What I'm referring to is Explosions In the Sky's "The Rescue EP," which was quietly put out in the fall of 2005 on the band's longtime Temporary Residence label. The recording was the 21st release of the label's Travels In Constants subscription series. The concept behind it was simple: the band was to record one song per day over the course of eight days. Though many of its songs are quite a bit shorter, and therefore less dense compared to most of their others, the EP on the whole is very well written and coherent. For some insight as to what influenced the writing of each of the songs and how they were recorded, read the band's description of the eight day process at the bottom of the linked page.


Since its release, I still have yet to hear much talk about "The Rescue", most likely due to its limited pressing and the minimal promotion of it. Recently, however, the band posted all of the songs from "The Rescue" as free downloads for those who hadn't yet been able to find a copy of the EP. Two of my favorite Explosions songs are on this recording: Day Five and Day Eight. I find it nearly impossible to keep from smiling when listening to Day Five. The song is without a doubt one of the most optimistic and inspiring the band has ever written.

While in Austin three weekends ago, I had the pleasure of having a drink with Explosions' drummer, Chris, and guitarist/bassist, Mike, at Emo's prior to seeing another band's show there. Both were extremely friendly and modest, and talking to them reaffirmed my future status as a lifelong fan of the band. I remember seeing them play at Solar Culture in front of a couple dozen people back in December '03 and still regard it as one of the best shows I've ever seen. Below is a picture from that night (via chrisnj's site).

In front of a slightly larger audience, I saw them at Lollapalooza this past summer and took a video of "The Only Moment We Were Alone" in its entirety. Don't mind the fact that I was a mile away, everyone around me was clapping off-rhythm, and the bluriness of it all. If you'd prefer, buy their record instead, and spare yourself of watching the above, or opt to watch a better live version of the song.