The band I'll be writing about is one I have known for a while yet every time I listen to them I find something new, something unnoticed before in their music, be it songs I listen to daily or brand new ones the music seems to take on a new meaning/style every time I listen to them.The band is Explosions In The Sky, a mainly instrumental post rock band from our own Austin Texas. The first thing I noticed when I first started listening to them (as would almost everyone else) was the lack of vocal presence which took about two minutes to get over once I really started paying attention to the music and realized that vocals aren't necessary at all to tell you a story, make you feel a certain way as the music itself already does that from the beginning. One of the notable characteristics of a EITS song is that usually the soft and mellow (or serious) beginning that slowly and patiently builds to a climax in the song. They make use all instruments for melodic and rhythmic purposes but the use of percussion defines their music and while giving a sense of calm and peace, it can also come with high intensity in their signature crescendo.I personally enjoy this band for the way one song can sound different every time listened to, a new melody or rhythm.
Here a few examples-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2LOJm5YRrQ



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6fjJTcaoKs

This week in class we have been listening to 1950's classic rock recordings and I noted much of the music and various songs sounded very much alike with uptempo beats and the characteristic use of piano as a way to fill and add to the songs as a whole, as well the melodic use of the guitar would also sound the same as other songs yet while these songs sound alike in many ways, they each distinguish themselves from the others to give a different and unique listening experience such as with Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode and Roll Over Beethoven. I also noticed that they would often use pauses in between leaving only the guitar and maybe a quiet bass to keep rhythm and would crescendo as in Jerry Lee Lewis's Whole lotta shakin' goin on.