Explosions in the Sky - Lenny's Bar - 3.13.07

the picture is awful, i haven't really even begun to explore the pic taking capabilities of my blackjack. anyway, nothing quite prepared me for the sheer amount of noise that was generated by EITS on stage that night. before i get any further though, let me say that i thoroughly enjoyed the opening band the paper chase, very mathy and melodious at the same time. anyway, i don't say "noise" in a bad way because, although at times overwhelming, it served as a perfect counterpoint to the quiet, introspective moments. i will say that i got to know the face of the bassist/guitarist very well as he was the only person visible on stage to me while the two other guitarists fiddled with effects peddles and what-not. the show was absolutely transcendent, just standing there and letting waves of sound wash over me was a great way to spend a tuesday night. i had read in several places that the albums that EITS have put out haven't been able to capture the intensity and rapture of their live performances and that is exactly correct. the wife and i fall asleep to the fiday night light's soundtrack almost every night (admittedly the most mellow album), but sleep was the farthest thing from our minds as we watched them sway. the haunting and beautiful melodies that i have mentioned before were brought to life a thousand fold during the hour long set. the phrase that i came up with the describe the show was "indecipherably separate" in that you knew that there were different songs but knowing where one stopped and another began was a difficult task. so, i just closed my eyes and found myself transported. while i usually prefer more interactive shows, this was definitely just a passive indulgence of brilliant orchestrations. along those lines, i do feel that this is a form of what could be described as some sort of "new classical" music. bands like mogwai, godspeed! you black emperor, EITS, and mono piece together movements no differently than the masters did, symphonies and requiems that last anywhere from three minutes to 30 minutes. my e-music has renewed and i made some interesting choices, so once i get it loaded and playing i'll let you know how i liked my choices. although, as i mentioned before, one of them is the new EITS and i'm sure we all know how that will go. .beans. songs that played: jeremy enigk - been here before metric - too little too late jimmy eat world - goodbye sky harbor bright eyes - gold mine gutted