Album Review: All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone

Explosions In The Sky's track record of creating mesmirising sonic violence is almost unparalleled, but one thing that has eluded the band - until now - is the ability to translate the majesty of their hypnotising live shows to record.

All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone changes that, marking as it does a huge leap forward for the band, ditching the somewhat crystalline production of its predecessors in favour of broader instrumentation and more focussed, asperous production. With increased intensity than even its ferocious predecessor, The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place, All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone almost completely blurs the lines between Explosions' recorded output and their extraordinary live shows.

The Birth And Death Of The Day clashes and coruscates like not just the beginning and end of the day, but the beginning and end of the universe. It's Natural To Be Afraid roars with a fierceness that few, if any, bands can match. The addition of piano on So Long, Lonesome and What Do You Go Home To? creates a beautiful, meditative picture, while the machine-gun snare on Catastrophe And The Cure is nothing short of incendiary.

Proving once again that bass, guitars and drums still allow for infinite possibilities, Explosions In The Sky manage to speak with more emotional resonance than a million bands with singers ever could.