Explosions in the Sky: All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Temporary Residence

That All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone opens with an epic flamethrower of an overture (“The Birth and Death of the Day”) is entirely in keeping with the symphonic style Explosions In The Sky nurtures so methodically throughout the 44-minute album. Of course, ‘symphonic' shouldn't be construed literally; the term instead describes the quartet's penchant for rapid, even abrupt shifts from euphoric axe shredding to hymnal quietude; Explosions In The Sky's approach is also symphonic in its emphasis on through-composed writing over individual soloing. Having played since 1999, the ‘instrumental rock' group—guitarists Mark Smith and Munaf Rayani, bassist Michael James, and drummer Chris Hrasky—often sounds like it's operating telepathically, especially when each of the album's six pieces segues seamlessly into the next. On its fourth album, the quartet's ecstatic attack at times resembles the grandiose wail of bagpipes while galloping rhythms, chiming guitar lattices, and delicate interweaves offer ample pleasures elsewhere. The album's most beautiful moments arrive, however, during the final piece, “So Long, Lonesome,” an elegant, piano-enhanced coda that is worth the price of admission all by itself.

April 2007