"Explosions in the Sky is a pretty pretentious name for fireworks."

Said by my friend Aaron when we went to see them last year. It kind of jolted me when he said it. For some reason, I never thought of the band name as referring to fireworks whatsoever.

I was thinking about September 11 and the particular association one could make with airplanes and buildings falling out of the sky, as well as non-man-made things like stars and sunlight. The sun, exploding into the sky every day for sunrise and sunset, a very, very slow, silent explosion, but one that fits the build up and overlaying of melodies much more than the sudden eclat of fireworks. This is a slow band, a careful band. Fireworks only suit them in their most brutal of moments, in one instant in the middle of a song. I like to think of it as more gradual and beautiful and commonplace than a flashy holiday occurance.