End

The title of the seventh studio album from Explosions in the Sky, End, isnt a sign that the band is breaking up. Rather, its meant as the final stage of a thematic cycle that began with their first album (How Strange, Innocence) and progressed through several dramatic, lengthy titles as the group became more ambitious and widened their scope. End is a reflection on death or the conclusion of a relationship, and how it can set the stage for a new beginning. With their previous full-length, The Wilderness, EitS reconfigured their sound and produced some of their most experimental and dynamic work. End incorporates a lot of the touches and techniques that made The Wilderness stand out in the groups discography, from rippling electronics to post-minimalist repetition. Opener "Ten Billion People" is punchy and urgent, with chiming guitar melodies and a flurry of panned drum fills pushing forward until the song reaches its spacious breakdown. The sparkling, anthemic "Moving On" is made sweeter with glowing keyboards, then gets an extra power surge with its distorted ending. Other songs effectively use abrasive, blown-out effects, often to establish a disorienting atmosphere at the beginning and provide a heavy impact for the finale. "All Mountains" feels like navigating winding roads through a mountain range before reaching flat, open land and having the freedom to drive at a faster velocity for a while. "The Fight" could soundtrack a scene from a sports-themed drama, but it feels more like an interpretation of deep internal conflict, with its intense, murmuring first half culminating in the more turbulent second. "Its Never Going to Stop" is the records longest and most delicate track, summing up the album with the feeling that no matter how much weve all been through in our lives, were still nowhere close to the end. ~ Paul Simpson