The delicate and subdued stylings of Austin’s Explosions In The Sky underwrite their magical musical presence. They float through their catalog so smoothly it’s as if the notes they play come to them as easily as breathing air, and their audience experiences it the same way. On Friday, June 17th Performer had the privilege of experiencing Austin’s favorite instrumental, post rock band perform at the new ACL Live Studio at the Moody Theatre.

Over the past two and a half decades, Austin’s music scene has been underlined by the ongoing PBS series Austin City Limits Live and the newness of it was a bit overwhelming to a fan of the old Austin feel. The new digs boast many more technical advances in lighting, sound, and capacity but it does lack a bit of the intimacy of the old ACL Live studio. Explosions In The Sky was the perfect band to fill that gap; baroque guitar riffs filled the space with hypnotic swells and perfectly articulated sounds.

While an Explosions In The Sky show doesn’t indulge the balls-out hard-core rock star vibe, these guys managed to captivate their hometown audience with very few frills – the only decoration on stage was a prominently displayed Texas flag. With no words to sing along to, thus separating the super fans from those just now on the bandwagon, the crowd was unified in an awestruck silence. Everyone just enjoying the music. The band didn’t even engage in onstage banter, save for a brief greeting and a grateful good-bye at the end – not a word between songs. The show moved with the fluidity of an orchestral opus, but without the formality.

Though their catalog is growing, the ACL Live audience received only an hour-long dose of Explosions In The Sky’s rising and falling dynamics, and carefully composed guitar movements. They could have gone on for hours and the crowd would have still been entranced by their exceptional stage presence. When they played “Postcard From 1952” it was so transcendental and so peaceful that it was near meditative. Explosions In The Sky consistently performed song after song an instrumental journey for their listeners – music that is so simple it becomes cerebral. The band transitioned easily from those pretty and soft melodies to growling, harsh, loud and gritty rock and then back again in a fashion that is fitting of their name, their guitars just like rocking, rumbling explosions in the middle of an their own tranquil sky.

www.explosionsinthesky.com

photos by Tara Lacey