How Strange, Innocence

Explosions in the Sky

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 11, 2005)
• Original Release Date: October 11, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Temporary Residence
• ASIN: B000BCKFIY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #47,595 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
"At certain points along the way, several of us wanted to buy back all the copies and burn them," writes Explosions in the Sky on their liner notes to this reissued debut. That's not a rousing recommendation, but an honest one from a group that three years later would produce one of the definitive post-modern guitar instrumental albums, The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place. How Strange, Innocence was reportedly made in only two days and released as a 300-issue CD-R in 2000. It's as rough and ready as that might suggest, but the sound of EITS was already well-formed right out of the Austin electric guitar womb. The opening "Song for Our Fathers" with its languid rhythm and surf guitar reverb fits right in with their later work. It's not perfect. They hadn't yet become sultans of the slow build crescendo, and there are more muffs than any self-respecting musician would want frozen for posterity. Nevertheless, it holds up as a rustic artifact and songs like the opener and "Look Into the Air" fulfill their mission of mood. Even before they were providing atmospheric soundtracks for Friday Night Lights and recording minor symphonies of electric guitar twang, Explosions in the Sky already had a clear vision of their sound. --John Diliberto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars EITS shows versatility., November 9, 2005

By	Joel Munyon "Joel Munyon" (Joliet, Illinois - the poohole of America.) - See all my reviews

I think this album is somewhere between a 4 and a 5. Not quite outstanding, but close.

Here's what I liked about this album:

#1. I'd call this cd a combination of what we heard on the Friday Night Lights soundtrack and what EITS put out on their other two albums. The crescendo isn't quite as apparent and is distinctly different in the way the band approaches it.

#2. I had never laughed when I heard a song before from sheer giddiness until I heard Magic Hours. WOW! One of the most sensational instrumental riffs I've ever heard. The closing segments of the song were amazing. As good as anything EITS have done before.

#3. A Song for Our Fathers: very dynamic work. One of the better EITS songs I've heard. It's almost otherworldly. This, along with Magic Hours, would be perfect songs for s score if they ever made a film about the apocalypse.

All in all, a very good album. Well worth buying.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great start for this band., January 4, 2006

By	Hugh Jass (G.P., OR) - See all my reviews

So like most I baught this album when it was re-released. I was really surprised to read that EITS wanted to "take back all the CDs" and destroy them. That remark was extremely harsh in my opinion. However, comparing this to their two future releases i can kind of understand where they are coming from. This album was suppossedly made in two days (which is not a hard sell). It is a bit rough around the edges and the quality is lacking a bit.

So why four stars? Easy. If you were to listen to this before their other two albums it would knock your socks off man. And if you heard it, like myself, after purchasing the next two releases, you would be just as excited as me in the progress they have made. I love this CD. I listen to it all the time. The first song is something special. The basswork, which I thought could be improved in the other two CDs, is outstanding here. Man, what an awesome band. What a start.

If this is possibly your first purchase of this bands music, good for you. It only gets much, much better. If you have the other two releases and are a fan, you will enjoy. Thanks for reading.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool as Ice, September 12, 2006

By	Jason "Hastaj00" (CaLiFoRNIA) - See all my reviews

This might be the least thoughtful of 'Explosions in the Sky''s releases, but it's also quite possible their most enjoyable. To be sure, it's the lightest, for with 'Those Who Tell the Truth' (their best album if I'm honest with myself) and the subsequent 'Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place', their intended effect is much more pronounced, and therefore drenched in sentiment. 'How Strange', on the other hand, is gleefully unpretentious and the result of such an attitude is oh-so likeable. Like the opener on the album, 'A Song For Our Fathers', the music basically melts into your cerebrum (opposed to your heart, which they strove for later on).

'Explosions' is not my favorite post-rock band but I still love 'em. Those who fell in love with these guys for either of the albums mentioned above should prepare themselves for the inevitable absence of polish and lacking performances (when compared to their evolved selves), but hey, it 'is' their first recording, and once one gets past these things, there is little to dislike here. It might not contain enough genuine ideas for the 50 minute runtime, but even in its duller moments it remains pleasurable for the pleasing ambience.

The more I think about it, 'How Strange, Innocence' might actually be the best EitS album to begin with if you're unexposed. Well, that or 'Earth...', which is probably even more accessible and immediately gratifying. Even so, that one is still a great deal more melodramatic, if sincere, and nothing after 'How Strange' gave off the smooth, chill soundscape that the band came to fruition with. Really, it's an entirely different beast than their progressing work, for better or worse -- I.E., excellent, just like everything they've written since.