EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY

Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

[Temporary Residence Ltd.]

It’s been almost four years since Austin, Texas, post-rock instrumentalists Explosions in the Sky’s previous album. Their fifth and latest picks up as if no time had passed, continuing to showcase the band’s gift for crafting sweeping soundtracks for movies that have never been made. One almost wishes that the six tracks didn’t have such evocative titles (“Trembling Hands” and “Be Comfortable, Creature,” for instance) so the listener could envision his or her own mental movies without any prejudice whatsoever. Reminiscent of Sonic Youth’s best drone but without the noise and chaos that regularly harshes that band’s mellow, the triumphant Take Care, Take Care, Take Care invites the listener to sit down and make time for it right away, before the music winds up as background noise. Best accompanied by a glass of wine, a cigarette or two and a taste for melancholy. –Brent DeBord