Explosions In the Sky

In her essay “An Argument About Beauty,” Susan Sontag suggested that a culture of flashy, conventionally attractive art can flatten our standards for what meaningful art actually entails. Rock snobs often level this sort of criticism at Explosions in the Sky, Austin, Texas’s resident sentimental kings. It’s too saccharine and formulaic! Other bands did this style first, with more nuance! On the eve of the group’s twentieth-anniversary tour, arguing about them isn’t going to hurt their draw. A common strain of instrumental, emotionally drenched guitar music is virtually synonymous with their band name; alongside Godspeed You! Black Emperor, they spawned a clutch of break-down-in-tears crescendo bands who promptly ran out of ideas. Over the last decade, to EITS’s credit, they have made admirable attempts to remix the formula. In 2016, The Wilderness was an admirable walk towards new territory, dialing back the ESPN highlight guitars for thoughtful electronic experimentation and shorter, punchier songs.