Explosions in the Sky - Those Who Tell the Truth...

"Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever" is my favorite EITS album to date, but I have honestly liked, I would even say loved, everything they have done. I think this album is particularly memorable and is a good introduction to their music for anyone who has not yet encountered it. They are an instrumental band from Austin, Texas. Their music is reminiscent of so-called shoegaze bands like "Mogwai" and "Godspeed You Black Emperor," and at least for me, has certain similarities to other generally awesome and uncategorizable instrumental groups such as Ratatat, The Sea and Cake and M83. But Explosions in the Sky is my favorite of all these bands, their music is poignant, melancholy and beautiful. One thing I find interesting about them, which I read once in an interview: to name their songs, they first write the song and then listen to it and give it a name according to what the song makes them think or feel. And very often you can really hear the music describing the name of the song... or the name of the song describing the music.

Every song on this 6-song album is noteworthy, but my favorites are "Greet Death," "The Moon is Down" and "Have You Passed Through This Night?". By the way, the monologue at the beginning of "Have You Passed Through This Night?" is an excerpt from the war film "A Thin Red Line" (1998). Get this album here.