Explosions In The Sky / The Paper Chase / Eluvium
By Tim Bugbee
Monday. Apr 02, 12:18 PM
live at The Middle East Downstairs (Cambridge, MA) March 21st, 2007.

For a band with no radio support or vocalist, Explosions In The Sky sure are catching the ears of a pretty wide audience. This is the second tour in a row that they’ve sold out well in advance, as the band look poised to take the next step up. Craigslist was filled with people willing to spend five times or more the face value of a ticket. The most immediate touchstone for the TX instrumentalists would be Mogwai, but more on that later. The show started with fellow Temporary Residence roster mate Eluvium. Not sure what that word is meant to imply, but the close proximity to “alluvial” probably isn't a mistake. Using the metaphor of a constantly flowing river, inexorably building a solid land mass which fans out from the tiny particles of silt carried by the currents is a very apt one for Matthew Cooper's nom de (insert favored auditory effect device here). Stage presence isn't his strong suit; he was tucked away behind The Paper Chase's gear, sitting behind an analog keyboard with guitar within arm's reach. If he had long enough cords, he could have played from the dressing room and no one would have noticed the difference. The main visuals were provided via a projector and consisted of swirling birds, which eventually were sucked into a chimney as the waves of drones and harmonics grew. Sometimes he veered dangerously close to Windham Hill territory, but overall it was a pleasant experience. Not quite the same mastery of, say, Windy & Carl, but certainly proficient (though an opening set of 45 min for this sort of aural wallpaper was a bit too long).

Next up were spazz-rockers The Paper Chase. I swear the singer looked just like a guy I used to work with and was about as hyperactive, with a mischievous sense of humor. Their lumbering, herky-jerky sound recalled a more lugubrious version of Welsh rockers McLusky, but with keyboards joining in the cacophony. Unfortunately, the most memorable things about their hook-free songs were the titles ("Goddamn These Hands [I Let Them Touch You]," " The Kids Will Grow Up to Be Assholes"). Still, the live show was pretty energetic and lead man John Congelton is a bundle of coiled energy, highly entertaining to watch.

The Paper Chase ceded the stage to Explosions In The Sky, who started without fanfare, launching into what would be about an hour of uninterrupted music (during segues, there would usually be at least one guitarist playing while the others either retuned or switched instruments). It flowed along quite nicely, but never hit the jagged peaks which the best of the Sons of Slint (let's face it, all these post-rock bands must have an elaborate shrine to Spiderland built somewhere in their house) like Mogwai do effortlessly. Maybe it's because they are definitely more melodic/less abrasive, or perhaps I'm a bit biased because Mogwai have been a steady part of my daily listening since '97 or so, but Explosions In The Sky do pale a bit when compared to Stuart et al. And for a band with such a similar mindset and direction, those comparisons are tough to ignore (however, I will give them credit for not being so slavishly like-minded as Mono). As Explosions In The Sky played, they really did move as one unit: fully locked in, with guitarists Mark and Munaf sometimes taking turns with the circular patterns and overlays while Michael James anchored the melody via his bass. When Munaf wasn't furrowing the stage floor with his low-slung guitar, he'd be sitting quietly on stage, or like on the last song, picking up some sticks and playing snare alongside drummer Chris Hrasky. Trying to recall the names of specific songs is about as Herculean a task as a spider remembering the names of her progeny, but I am pretty sure they played both "Memorial" and a rousing version of "The Catastrophe and the Cure" from the new record, whose chiming guitars were very indicative of the majesty Explosions In The Sky are able to bring into their music. It's not tattered, bruised, and ugly music; forward-thinking royalty could use this as music for a coronation ceremony. And when the music finally did stop, it stopped for good. No encores, they'd left everything out on stage, which is fine by me.
www.explosionsinthesky.com
www.thepaperchaseband.com
www.eluvium.net

Tim Bugbee

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