Explosions in the Sky – Take care, take care, take care – A+

Explosions in the Sky don’t make music, they make soundtracks to life and in their latest installment, there’s a sense of peace which is at times uplifting. Although often inclined to create epic compositions heavily flavored with melancholy, this is the most hopeful album they’ve ever created. Rest assured, if you’ve liked previous outings from Explosions, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care does not disappoint and further puts them at the forefront of post rock. Starting off with Last Known Surroundings, the song is an introduction to the album and that’s something you’ll have to maintain VERY present throughout. Although the tracks on this album can be enjoyed individually, they really do merit a full listen through since this album was made to be listened in one sitting. Tracks mesh into one another and the transition from the first track to Human Qualities is quietly beautiful. This track treads through more familiar Explosions territory, but it’s a wonderful setup to one of the definite highlight tracks on the album, Trembling Hands. Stylistically, this is a definite departure even going so far as to include looped vocals on the track. The echo drenched guitars continue but the pace of the song is the closest they’ve come to being frantic and at 3:31, I’m pretty sure it’s the shorts if not one of the shortest songs by Explosions in the Sky. The tone is at one of its definite highest on this track and it has to be a great song to hear live and territory I hope they explore further since it’s quite an interesting thing to see how much music they can cram into four minutes or less. Then you transition to the gentle Be Comfortable Creature. Another revisit to some familiar ground with some very present new colors in their palette. The synth breathing that enters around the 1:45 mark is beautiful and definitely carries across the title of the song. In this song especially you get a sense that Explosions in the Sky have definitely learned how to let a song grow at its own pace. They might be playing it, but they don’t own it by any means and the songs feel quite organic in that sense. Afterwards comes Postcard from 1952 another great song that shows glimpses of past compositions and stylistic trademarks while creating something entirely new before melting into the highlight of the album. In the background you can hear something that seems like a horn section, which is really the background guitar drumming out notes that could very much work in an orchestral setting before picking up the crunch, and taking you for a ride that grows and grows as has been their nature as a band for some time now. Which is all fantastic, but it’s only a setup for pretty much one of their best songs, the closing Let me Back in. The song begins with more synth whispers and some piano in the mix and it just grows, and grows and grows into forever. Truly, it’s a beautiful song and a definite high point in their catalogue since like other songs, it truly takes its time to develop and the end result is magnificent. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care offers the most new dynamics to the Explosions sound and few bands can even fathom to connect the way these guys do.

Highlight Tracks: Last Known Surroundings – Trembling Hands – Be Comfortable Creature – Let me back in

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues - A

Fleet Foxes is a band ripped from some sunny hideaway circa 1963. That’s what they sound like but impressively, this band is from Seattle. Trust me, just seeing my record collection you can see I have NOTHING against Seattle and truly am a grunge child. It’s just my way of giving a tip of the hat to a band that has gone their way regardless of what’s expected from said territory. Whereas 90’s bands sounded like they came from the proverbial grey existence that is Seattle at times, you can’t help but feel as if you’re skipping through a sunny field when you listen to a Foxes album. That much is clearly apparent on each of the twelve tracks offered this time around. Montezuma opens with a sunrise track evoking echo laden dollops of hope only to be followed by a more Nick Drake meets America number in Bedouin Dress. Throughout the musicianship is excellent and it’s another album that gets you smiling. I can’t help but feel as if this album sounds like something I would have found hidden in one of my parent’s music collections from their teens. It’s music to inspire and feel hopeful to, which is ironic given the title of the album. The retro folk grandness continues with Sim Sala Bim and it doesn’t let up. Like their debut and First EP Sun Giant, the band doesn’t let up and the quality of the music holds strong throughout. Great band, great album, great listen.

Highlight Tracks: Montezuma - Bedouin Dress - Sim Sala Bim – Grown Ocean – Lorelei The Plains /Bitter Dancer – Someone you’d admire

R.E.M. - Collapse into Now - A+

For believing albums are dead, R.E.M. have put out one of their best ever. Even more so, something I really think needs to be said about this album is that unlike most R.E.M. albums, Collapse Into Now doesn’t have their typical mid-album slump (something also very apparent in their last outing Accelerate). But if anything, I think R.E.M.’s reaction to the album is interesting because although in interviews they almost sound as if they’re full of it, they play on the album with as much f%^& you conviction as ever. Actually, it often sounds like they’re having a really good time.

True, many lyrics may have them taking the role of curmudgeonly journeymen talking to “the kids”, but if that’s my main complaint of this album… then I’ll take it, because at 30, I often feel completely out of sync with lots of things that are happening nowadays and the music here says that loud and clear. Whatever you’re doing now, we’re not interested, this is how we rock.

Collapse Into Now maintains the focus seen on Accelerate, but a hell of a lot of variety has been added to the mix to offer up a great solid collection of songs that lyrically, musically and thematically matter. Peter Buck even pulled out the mandolin to reminisce on greener and less socially-networked pastures of the days of old.

Great lyrics, good choruses and impressively so, one of the most intelligible I’ve ever heard Michael Stipe. Although the interviews and the album title might project a sense of pessimism and nihilistic tendencies towards their relevance, Collapse Into Now is the work of great musicians, making great music just for the hell of it apparently.