Explosions in the Sky

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They are from Texas, and they are called Explosions in the Sky.

Formed in 2000 after drummer Chris Hrasky posted a flyer in a record store reading "wanted; sad, triumphant rock band," the foursome (Hrasky and guitarists Michael James, Mark Smith, and Munaf Rayani) quickly became well known in the Austin music scene, and were signed to Temporary Residence Limited after another Austin band submitted their demo accompanied by a note reading "This totally fucking destroys." They have since then released six albums, composed music for Friday Night Lights, been Mistaken For Terrorists, curated a music festival, and still managed to remain in relative obscurity.

Explosions in the Sky albums so far are:

  • How Strange, Innocence (2000)
  • Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth shall Live Forever (2001)
  • The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003)
  • The Rescue (2005)
  • All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone (2007)
  • Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (2011)
Explosions in the Sky provides examples of the following tropes:
  • A Good Name for a Rock Band: As they were unloading their gear before an early show, fireworks were going off nearby. One of them blurted out, "Can you hear the explosions in the sky?" The name stuck.
  • Big Rock Ending: "Look Into the Air"
  • Bolero Effect: During the second half of "Time Stops."
  • Concept Album: "The Rescue" tells the true story of eight days spent in a stranger's attic after the band's van broke down.
  • Epic Riff: "A Song for Our Fathers," "Your Hand in Mine,"
  • Epic Rocking: The amount of Explosions in the Sky songs sans this trope can be counted on one hand.
  • Hey, It's That Voice!: The spoken word monologue in the beginning of "Have You Passed Through This Night?" is delivered by Jesus.
  • Instrumentals: Almost every single song.
  • Long Title: Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth shall Live Forever, "With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept"
  • Mainstream Obscurity: Despite having their music featured in Friday Night Lights and playing to a sellout crowd at Radio City Music Hall. The fact that their songs aren't exactly radio friendly probably has something to do with this, but that's the way they like it.
  • Mistaken for Terrorist: They are called Explosions in the Sky. Their second album was called Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth shall Live Forever, they have a distinctly Middle Eastern guitarist, and the album art features a plane, an angel, and the ominous words, "This plane will crash tomorrow." To make matters even stickier, it was released exactly one week before the 9/11 attacks, and rumors spread that it was released one day before. Michael James was detained in the Amsterdam airport shortly after the album's release and asked to explain why his guitar had "This plane will crash tomorrow" written on it. The band got out of that situation by flashing some copies.
  • No-Hit Wonder: Their albums have done relatively well, but no individual song of theirs has ever charted.
  • Post Rock: They don't consider themselves this, but everyone else does.
  • Signature Song: Arguably "Your Hand in Mine."
  • Suspiciously Similar Song: They still get emails asking for the song used as the theme to Friday Night Lights. That particular piece is not their work; it was composed by veteran TV writer W.G. Snuffy Walden and deliberately mimicked their style.
  • Title Drop: "Have You Passed Through This Night?" Via an audio sample from The Thin Red Line.
  • Wild Hair: Photos of Munaf Rayani on stage frequently display his long locks flying.
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