127 degrees of bliss in charles village ...

so last night i got to go to the explosions in the sky concert at the 2640 space in charles village, a small neighborhood in north baltimore, and was treated to a stunning live performance by the fellows from austin, tx.

i am not a self proclaimed explosions fan, my primary exposure to the bad came from a group of underclassmen at the university of sydney that i lived with. they forced it down my throat, and to my surprise the esoteric sounds of these post rock juggernauts tasted pretty good. so duh i was going to check em out in baltimore, and im awfully glad i did.

rather than write a detailed review (i am not intimately familiar with their music and think some one who was at the show probably could do a much more thorough job) im just going to give some pop corn thoughts on the show ...

• 2640 is beautiful. old church space, hardwood floors, exposed bricks, arches, stained glass, and very good acoustics. on the other side of the coin there is no air circulation which lead to sauna like conditions at the show (hence the title of the post). i think this venue would be ideal for one of those crisp mid november nights here in baltimore.

• this band is really good at playing their music. before you blast me, hear me out. not a lot of acts transfer from recorded album to live show with extreme ease (passion pit comes to mind right away), and especially an act that relies so heavily on subtle sound changes, reverb, dissonance, and coordinated chaotic sounds coming together in harmony. these guys pulled it off to a tee. i mean the entire 1st tune, 'first breath after a coma' was exactly like the album version, which allowed you as an audience member to stand (sweating) with mouth open, staring in an almost stage of disbelief at what is involved to create such a beautiful piece of music.

• these guys know how to push the guitar to places i have never really seen the instrument go. there was lots of times where the 3 guitarists would be kneeling, fidgiting with effects, standing, playing, kneeling, repeating ... which again made for a heightened appreciation of the overall composition of some of there larger pieces like 'your hand in mine' 

• the track below was my favorite song of the evening, and i think the clip from austin city limits gives a pretty accurate representation of what these guys are all about 

• if some one asks you what exactly post rock is .... point them towards explosions in the sky

explosions in the sky - 'catastrophe and the cure'

**on a completely different note: ive started a musical email list. if you want in just comment below with your email and ill sort it out**