The only reason people say Explosions are overrated is because they are by far the most popular post rock band. I believe they were the first post rock band I ever heard and I think that's true for most post rock fans but I still believe " The Earth is not a cold dead place" is one of the best albums in the entire genre.
The first post-rock band I remember I ever heard was Tortoise. Which made me dig into a lot of post-rock from the 90's, from Slint and Talk Talk to Gastr del Sol, The Sea and Cake, Broken Social Scene, and a lot of British stuff like Moonshake, Stereolab, Pram, Disco Inferno, Bark Psychosis.. This early stuff is very very different compared to most contemporary post-rock. But there are also bands in between both eras like Mogwai and Do Make Say Think that combine many of the features of both.
Agreed, with all comments. They were my first "traditional" post rock experience. I prob favor those who tell the truth, but the earth... was right there too... Saw Tortoise live too and GSYBE... all the bands mentioned hold a special place...
Also both "The birth and death of the day" have sunsets/sunrise. So they're both similar and beautiful in their own right. EitS has a special place in my heart. Specifically the album, "The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place". I first started listening to them around the same time I started to listen to Sigur Ros, which was when I was on tour with my band. I've mentioned before that while we listened to metal while driving, it got real old after hours on the road (gasp!). Post rock like Sigur Ros, EitS, and Mogwai were VERY Commonplace. It's just so nice to put on, enjoy the music and chill. You don't have to "work hard" to enjoy post rock bands like this. They create a good soundscape and it just works. The song moves enough to keep you interested but also isn't demanding your attention. But you can give it your attention if you so choose and really enjoy the music. I could see if people think EitS are overrated. It makes sense. But I don't care, haha I love em. But I also have amazing nostalgia tied to the band. Edit: neat thing about them. I've seen them live a couple times, and they're all multi-instrumentalists. They all know the different part of each song and will often switch places live. I've seen them do it mid song as well.
Lot's of what music we enjoy has to do with the circumstances when we're first exposed to it. I didn't listen to this kind of music back when it came out and now I'm more into metal and find there's so much other stuff I'd rather give a chance. Maybe I'd think it was better it you told me it was "atmospheric black metal" :D
Switching instruments will always amaze me despite being able to do it as well. But just remember so many different parts to play any instrument at any time is awesome.
I think the "overrated" thing might come from a bit of over-exposure. If I'm not mistaken, they're one of the only post rock bands that have received any mainstream attention (along with Sigur Ros). Their music's been in a lot of movies and commercials, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were used as temp music for even more. That might be why they sound a bit like an indie rom-com LOL. As for where they stand for me, I love them. Post rock has a bit of a stereotype of being all about the buildup, but I think Explosions in the Sky really nail tension and release. They push that even further when they play live and it's transcendent.
if it hasn't been recommended already. i recommend We Lost the Sea, anything off of their album Departure Songs is good but I recommend The Last Dive of David Shaw. post rock isn't really too much my style, but i like them a lot.
So good. Every time I hear EITS I have images of Friday Night Lights, the movie/tv show they did the soundtrack for. In this song the optimism made me see images of a football team celebrating after a lot of hard work.
the earth is not a cold, dead place is an album i've listened to for over ten years, at least a few times a year. i could curl up in the soundscapes and live there
Assuming the rest of the album has that same warm uplifting spirit that this song does I could see myself doing something similar. Especially these days, I could use a condensed dose of optimism.
@@CriticalReactions different album than the one you’re reaction is too and by far their best IMO. They said it was there take on basically an album about love. It’s really beautiful
Agree and same. It’s an album that’s absolutely meant to be listened to as a whole piece composed of 5 songs . All beautifully hopeful and tragic at the same time
EITS were my introduction to post rock, but my favourite band in the gentre BY FAR is/was The Evpatoria Report. I'd highly recommend checking them out. The popular favourite track seems to be Taijin Kyofusho, but I'd also heavily endorse anything from the Maar album
I really enjoyed this. It doesn't in the same way as a prog masterpiece but this band is one of those that makes me feel like I shouldn't give up on trying post rock. However, I'm definitely biased since this was the first post rock group I'd ever heard but they grab me in a way no other post band has except for maybe widek. I get the same feeling where the song nor any section overstays the welcome. When listening to something for such a long time the more positive tinge also really helps. However, to be honest my first listen by EITS was the earth is not a cold dark place album, which I've listened to at least 6 times, but can't tell one track from the other. It can tend to blend into one long track for me.
I would love to see you react to Irepress - Diaspora. The best way I can describe their music is going on a journey or listening to a story without words. There's so many twists and turns in their music its a treat to listen to. I would probably rank them as the most underrated/never talked about instrumental post rock/metal bands. Especially if you like EITS their music moves forward.
Explosions is definitely a band that usually sounds hopeful. Not always, but most of the time. That's a quality they share with Sigur Rós imo (even if that's a band that knows how to go dark too). Although they have 10+ minute songs, they rarely overstay their welcome by shifting sections quite often, so I get what you say. I can get and love some droney stuff, but this band is a go-to when I want to listen to post-rock but for whatever reason it can't be to weird or droney.
I'm petitioning for "Black Line" and "Plague Pleasure" by Nemertines. Together, they make up a 5-minute EP with some of the most beautiful yet haunting atmosphere I've ever heard.
I remember going to a party perhaps 10 years ago, and just getting drunk as shit on the staircase listening to this album on a crappy iPod I had at the time. Great night, I watched the entire evening to this soundtrack and could hear nothing but the music.
Oh man, I love this song. Explosions may be overrated but they’re so good. They were the first post-rock I got into and still a favorite. On a somewhat weird note, this song for some reason always reminds me a bit of Moody Blues “Days of Future Passed”, and I can’t quite tell you why. The song title definitely, and little bits and pieces of the music here and there. I’m probably just crazy because they’re absolutely nothing like Moodies, but 🤷♂️ whatever lolol. Actually if you ever do a full album reaction, Days of Future Passed would be a great album to react to. Anyway, great video! A couple post-rock requests: Caspian “Gone in Bloom and Bough” Hammock “Dissonance” Northumbria “Frozen Lake”
I'll level with ya, I don't know Triss. I've only played 8 hours of Witcher 1 back when it came out and simply never found the time to get through these games despite loving them. But we were talking about Witcher in the Discord and I found out the games were a quasi-sequel to the books and now I'm gonna read them first and finally delve into the games. But the series was pretty good.
@@axelthesot I tried playing Witcher 1 after loving Witcher 3 and I could just not get into it all. Controls were clunky as all hell and I basically hated everything about it. I've thought about just watching some online playthroughs just to follow the story.
Ok, sorry, maybe this is emotional and what not but I just find myself drifting away, thinking of other stuff and forgetting to listen to the music. I guess it's just not for me. And, ok, sorry for coming up with the idea for a growl week. But you could always do an override and pick my initial suggestion for Haken doing their song Streams (which actually spurred the idea of an amazing growl theme in the first place). Although it's a 10 min song there's only growling for a couple of minutes - rest is clean singing :)
I think for a lot of people, that's ok. Most people put this on to do homework/housework. Whatever. A lot of people use post rock as "background" noise.
I also drift in and out of a lot of Explosion's stuff... except The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place. That album blew me away when I first heard it and continues to every time I give it a listen.
@@CriticalReactions its the most common. If theres one band you have to do its Be'lakor. Please. I love everything they have released. I think they are top teir melodeath. So as far as growling week. What are the parameters a band or artist needs to meet. Because growling week is extremely vague.
Well it is a vague theme. Basically I'm looking to immerse myself in the growling vocal style in an attempt to "get used to it." So I'm looking for amazing or accessible growling technique regardless of the music behind it.
For me, growling is all about dynamics. Some bands are just so monotone in the growls that its unlistenable, for me. Tommy Rogers from BTBAM is a prime example, Colors is tough for me to listen to because of Tommy's vocal style but as the band's albums have progressed since he has added so much dynamics to his vocal delivery that BTBAM has become one of my favorite bands. With all that said, I have to suggest Atilla for growl week. Dude switches up his growl style every 20 seconds or so.
The next time you listen to this song, I recommend you do so with the visuals from this fan-made music video: ua-cam.com/video/fx3voBJZLns/v-deo.html It really provides an interesting perspective/interpretation to the song, I think it might help you recognize the melancholy which you didn't seem to think was really present on this reaction video. :)
This is an interesting track. My first thought is that it seems to drift between pretty but superficial background music and interesting, engrossing minimalism. I can definitely understand how/why you or anyone could've fell into the latter category, but I'm not sure if the composition as a whole feels significant enough for me to get there. If anything, the last few days have almost sounded like a combination of dream pop and post-rock. The former element is mostly in the emphasis on beautiful textures, while the latter is in the repetition and instrumental nature. However, if I compare each element to my elite standards for each: Cocteau Twins for dream pop, Talk Talk for post rock, I ultimately find it lacking. It's not as gorgeous as the former or as emotional/artistic as the latter. It's pretty, and it certainly evokes some kind of emotional tonality, but it never gets to that next step that really moves me. Maybe that's just me being too picky, because I still feel like I overall enjoyed this, but I feel that's mostly because I generally like these genres/styles anyway. So I guess you could say I'm ambivalent.
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The only reason people say Explosions are overrated is because they are by far the most popular post rock band. I believe they were the first post rock band I ever heard and I think that's true for most post rock fans but I still believe " The Earth is not a cold dead place" is one of the best albums in the entire genre.
Explosions in the Sky definitely falls under "technically overrated by virtue of being massively popular but still extremely good"
The first post-rock band I remember I ever heard was Tortoise. Which made me dig into a lot of post-rock from the 90's, from Slint and Talk Talk to Gastr del Sol, The Sea and Cake, Broken Social Scene, and a lot of British stuff like Moonshake, Stereolab, Pram, Disco Inferno, Bark Psychosis..
This early stuff is very very different compared to most contemporary post-rock. But there are also bands in between both eras like Mogwai and Do Make Say Think that combine many of the features of both.
Agreed, with all comments. They were my first "traditional" post rock experience. I prob favor those who tell the truth, but the earth... was right there too... Saw Tortoise live too and GSYBE... all the bands mentioned hold a special place...
Yeah, they were the first one. They became more popular with the movie Friday Night Lights and later the show.
Also both "The birth and death of the day" have sunsets/sunrise. So they're both similar and beautiful in their own right.
EitS has a special place in my heart. Specifically the album, "The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place".
I first started listening to them around the same time I started to listen to Sigur Ros, which was when I was on tour with my band. I've mentioned before that while we listened to metal while driving, it got real old after hours on the road (gasp!). Post rock like Sigur Ros, EitS, and Mogwai were VERY Commonplace. It's just so nice to put on, enjoy the music and chill. You don't have to "work hard" to enjoy post rock bands like this. They create a good soundscape and it just works. The song moves enough to keep you interested but also isn't demanding your attention. But you can give it your attention if you so choose and really enjoy the music.
I could see if people think EitS are overrated. It makes sense. But I don't care, haha I love em. But I also have amazing nostalgia tied to the band.
Edit: neat thing about them. I've seen them live a couple times, and they're all multi-instrumentalists. They all know the different part of each song and will often switch places live. I've seen them do it mid song as well.
Lot's of what music we enjoy has to do with the circumstances when we're first exposed to it. I didn't listen to this kind of music back when it came out and now I'm more into metal and find there's so much other stuff I'd rather give a chance. Maybe I'd think it was better it you told me it was "atmospheric black metal" :D
Switching instruments will always amaze me despite being able to do it as well. But just remember so many different parts to play any instrument at any time is awesome.
I love that album too!
Surprised "Your Hand in Mine" wasn't the pick for EITS. Probably one of their most memorable songs. This is good too, though!
This is my favorite song, also First Breath after Coma.
Just listened to that track, it's a good one!
I'm a huge EITS fan and I think The Birth and Death Of the Day is a stronger song for introducing someone to the band.
I think the "overrated" thing might come from a bit of over-exposure. If I'm not mistaken, they're one of the only post rock bands that have received any mainstream attention (along with Sigur Ros). Their music's been in a lot of movies and commercials, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were used as temp music for even more. That might be why they sound a bit like an indie rom-com LOL.
As for where they stand for me, I love them. Post rock has a bit of a stereotype of being all about the buildup, but I think Explosions in the Sky really nail tension and release. They push that even further when they play live and it's transcendent.
Yea, didnt they do the entire soundtrack for Friday night lights the movie? Was based in texas where EITS is from
if it hasn't been recommended already. i recommend We Lost the Sea, anything off of their album Departure Songs is good but I recommend The Last Dive of David Shaw. post rock isn't really too much my style, but i like them a lot.
So good. Every time I hear EITS I have images of Friday Night Lights, the movie/tv show they did the soundtrack for. In this song the optimism made me see images of a football team celebrating after a lot of hard work.
Clear eyes!
Full hearts!
Can’t lose!
the earth is not a cold, dead place is an album i've listened to for over ten years, at least a few times a year. i could curl up in the soundscapes and live there
Assuming the rest of the album has that same warm uplifting spirit that this song does I could see myself doing something similar. Especially these days, I could use a condensed dose of optimism.
@@CriticalReactions different album than the one you’re reaction is too and by far their best IMO. They said it was there take on basically an album about love. It’s really beautiful
Agree and same. It’s an album that’s absolutely meant to be listened to as a whole piece composed of 5 songs . All beautifully hopeful and tragic at the same time
Love this song and band. One of the best shows i;ve ever been to.
EITS were my introduction to post rock, but my favourite band in the gentre BY FAR is/was The Evpatoria Report. I'd highly recommend checking them out. The popular favourite track seems to be Taijin Kyofusho, but I'd also heavily endorse anything from the Maar album
I really enjoyed this. It doesn't in the same way as a prog masterpiece but this band is one of those that makes me feel like I shouldn't give up on trying post rock. However, I'm definitely biased since this was the first post rock group I'd ever heard but they grab me in a way no other post band has except for maybe widek. I get the same feeling where the song nor any section overstays the welcome. When listening to something for such a long time the more positive tinge also really helps. However, to be honest my first listen by EITS was the earth is not a cold dark place album, which I've listened to at least 6 times, but can't tell one track from the other. It can tend to blend into one long track for me.
I would love to see you react to Irepress - Diaspora. The best way I can describe their music is going on a journey or listening to a story without words. There's so many twists and turns in their music its a treat to listen to. I would probably rank them as the most underrated/never talked about instrumental post rock/metal bands. Especially if you like EITS their music moves forward.
Stazoid Boston band .. saw them a ton live .
So much jazz influence with Irepress. I enjoy them.
I agree 100% that this particular song is dripping with triumphant optimism. It feels like they are trying to convey a GREAT appreciation to be alive
Dude I appreciate the courage and listening to this. It's an amazing genre of music but hard to please because everybody is put on a different journey
One of the only bands I listen to that their current album is always my favorite
Where?
I would suggest The Slow Wait (Part 1) - by The American Dollar
A beautiful song
What about MOGWAI? one of the fathers of post rock
Great analysis, great reaction. Great live band
Explosions is definitely a band that usually sounds hopeful. Not always, but most of the time. That's a quality they share with Sigur Rós imo (even if that's a band that knows how to go dark too). Although they have 10+ minute songs, they rarely overstay their welcome by shifting sections quite often, so I get what you say. I can get and love some droney stuff, but this band is a go-to when I want to listen to post-rock but for whatever reason it can't be to weird or droney.
I'm petitioning for "Black Line" and "Plague Pleasure" by Nemertines. Together, they make up a 5-minute EP with some of the most beautiful yet haunting atmosphere I've ever heard.
I remember going to a party perhaps 10 years ago, and just getting drunk as shit on the staircase listening to this album on a crappy iPod I had at the time. Great night, I watched the entire evening to this soundtrack and could hear nothing but the music.
When I found this band, I thought I was the only person in the world who knew about them. This song literally dented the course of my life.
Maybeshewill - Red Paper Lanterns (for good short Post-Rock)
They’re great, just got into them a few months ago
Oh man, I love this song. Explosions may be overrated but they’re so good. They were the first post-rock I got into and still a favorite. On a somewhat weird note, this song for some reason always reminds me a bit of Moody Blues “Days of Future Passed”, and I can’t quite tell you why. The song title definitely, and little bits and pieces of the music here and there. I’m probably just crazy because they’re absolutely nothing like Moodies, but 🤷♂️ whatever lolol. Actually if you ever do a full album reaction, Days of Future Passed would be a great album to react to.
Anyway, great video! A couple post-rock requests:
Caspian “Gone in Bloom and Bough”
Hammock “Dissonance”
Northumbria “Frozen Lake”
I recommend The Evpatoria Report - Acheron
Somehow my brain had this band and Scale the Summit as same band in my mind.
Most definitely NOT overrated! Amazing band
how about some pg.lost or mogwai or god is an astronaut or caspian?
Yes! Mogwai Yes, "I'm a Long Way From Home". Awesome.
Just wait until tomorrow!
Are you a Triss (which auto-corrected to gross at first, btw) or a Yennifer type of guy?
I'll level with ya, I don't know Triss. I've only played 8 hours of Witcher 1 back when it came out and simply never found the time to get through these games despite loving them. But we were talking about Witcher in the Discord and I found out the games were a quasi-sequel to the books and now I'm gonna read them first and finally delve into the games. But the series was pretty good.
@@CriticalReactions I envy you getting to play them the first time. Witcher 1 feels dated, but 2 and especially 3 are fantastic games.
@@axelthesot I tried playing Witcher 1 after loving Witcher 3 and I could just not get into it all. Controls were clunky as all hell and I basically hated everything about it. I've thought about just watching some online playthroughs just to follow the story.
Do Greet Death? :)
Ok, sorry, maybe this is emotional and what not but I just find myself drifting away, thinking of other stuff and forgetting to listen to the music. I guess it's just not for me.
And, ok, sorry for coming up with the idea for a growl week. But you could always do an override and pick my initial suggestion for Haken doing their song Streams (which actually spurred the idea of an amazing growl theme in the first place). Although it's a 10 min song there's only growling for a couple of minutes - rest is clean singing :)
I think for a lot of people, that's ok. Most people put this on to do homework/housework. Whatever. A lot of people use post rock as "background" noise.
Haha no worries about Growling Week. It had to happen eventually :)
I also drift in and out of a lot of Explosion's stuff... except The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place. That album blew me away when I first heard it and continues to every time I give it a listen.
Maybe Dandelion would be more apropos? 😊
Can we do melodic death metal next?
Next week is growling week but we'll see about MeloDeath soon though. (is that a common portmanteau of that? If not it should be)
@@CriticalReactions its the most common. If theres one band you have to do its Be'lakor. Please. I love everything they have released. I think they are top teir melodeath. So as far as growling week. What are the parameters a band or artist needs to meet. Because growling week is extremely vague.
Well it is a vague theme. Basically I'm looking to immerse myself in the growling vocal style in an attempt to "get used to it." So I'm looking for amazing or accessible growling technique regardless of the music behind it.
@@CriticalReactions makes perfect sense.
@@christopherblowers443 It's Australian music in general, it so under the radar.. But its always perfection.
For me, growling is all about dynamics. Some bands are just so monotone in the growls that its unlistenable, for me. Tommy Rogers from BTBAM is a prime example, Colors is tough for me to listen to because of Tommy's vocal style but as the band's albums have progressed since he has added so much dynamics to his vocal delivery that BTBAM has become one of my favorite bands.
With all that said, I have to suggest Atilla for growl week. Dude switches up his growl style every 20 seconds or so.
The next time you listen to this song, I recommend you do so with the visuals from this fan-made music video:
ua-cam.com/video/fx3voBJZLns/v-deo.html
It really provides an interesting perspective/interpretation to the song, I think it might help you recognize the melancholy which you didn't seem to think was really present on this reaction video. :)
I'm sure PIA would sponsor your videos for a VPN (:
I use Surfshark and love 'em. If someone sponsored I'd like it to be them.
This is an interesting track. My first thought is that it seems to drift between pretty but superficial background music and interesting, engrossing minimalism. I can definitely understand how/why you or anyone could've fell into the latter category, but I'm not sure if the composition as a whole feels significant enough for me to get there. If anything, the last few days have almost sounded like a combination of dream pop and post-rock. The former element is mostly in the emphasis on beautiful textures, while the latter is in the repetition and instrumental nature. However, if I compare each element to my elite standards for each: Cocteau Twins for dream pop, Talk Talk for post rock, I ultimately find it lacking. It's not as gorgeous as the former or as emotional/artistic as the latter. It's pretty, and it certainly evokes some kind of emotional tonality, but it never gets to that next step that really moves me. Maybe that's just me being too picky, because I still feel like I overall enjoyed this, but I feel that's mostly because I generally like these genres/styles anyway. So I guess you could say I'm ambivalent.