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We were back to the Beachland for a show last night by Explosions In The Sky. The all instrumental quartet plays what is revoltingly called 'post-rock'. What the hell they do that transcends 'present rock', besides not sing, is beyond me. In my mind, they're like an indie jam band comparable to Sigur Ros in style, but jacked up a few notches in intensity.
Having skipped the opening act in favor of a few glasses of wine at home, we circled the blocks around luxurious East 158th, hoping for a spot on a well lit street. We eventually found a spot on a cul-de-sac abutting I-90 and made our way through the drizzle and into throngs. Truly, it was busier than I've ever seen a Beachland show before. Katie and I agreed in our surprise when tickets sold out a month before, wrongly assuming that ambient, instrumental rock music wouldn't have quite the draw it would in say, D.C. or Austin.
So we were doubly surprised when the lights went down, the guitars roared up from a lovely sparse opening into a body vibrating crescendo and every soul in the place was completely enraptured. This is the part where I have to admit that I'm not a huge EITS fan, though I do enjoy and appreciate their work. But these people were locked in- and though this sounds abominably ignorant - even though one song could pass for any other to the untrained (read: my) ear, they all knew what was coming. I'm not sure which, the crowd or the band, impressed me more...
Anyway, quite a show, and now we're geared up for Josh Ritter next Thursday at Oberlin in the beautiful Finney Chapel. No band in tow this time around, but an interesting pairing with Hilary Hahn should make it a memorable show.
