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[Misereatur]

http://www.explosionsinthesky.com/the_rescue.html

"The Rescue"
(2005)

Recorded in Austin, Texas (at Michael's house) January 2005

Released in October 2005 (part of the TRL Travels In Constants subscription series...subscriptions are all sold out and this record isn't in stores, but we will be selling them at shows for the next couple of years)

We promised Jeremy we would do a Travels in Constants e.p. literally over four years ago. Since then we've been sidetracked by an astonishing number of things. Two thousand and five was our year to take a bit of a step back and take some time to write new music, and along the way somewhere we got an idea for doing this e.p. in a different way then we've ever approached writing music. It can take us months and months and months to write even a song. Sometimes it comes much quicker, but often we spend many an afternoon trying out new melodies and riffs and drum beats, playing things over and over, obsessing and arguing and sighing and sitting silently for what seems to be hours on end. So, for this, our idea was to write and record a song every day for two weeks (this later became eight days) and the rest of the two weeks would be spent trying to mix and master the results. No riffs were to be written beforehand; things would be pretty much made up on the spot. It seemed daunting but fun and, perhaps, instructive. A learning experience. A chance to try new instruments and new ways of thinking about writing songs. Its also our first attempt at recording ourselves (the whole thing was recorded in Michael's house). Anyway, The Rescue is the result.

The Recording Process of The Rescue

day 1 is the result of us not knowing at all what to do or how any of it would turn out--disjointed and loose to the extent of being almost structureless, but also the sound of us having a lot of fun. picking up random bells laying around the house and just shaking them into a microphone. to our ears it simultaneously sounds unlike our music but also definitely like our music, if that makes any sense.

day 2 was when we started to attempt a sort of order to the proceedings, after the free-for-all of day 1. this day involved a role reversal: munaf played drums, trying to play a "chris" style; chris played piano, nominally in a "munaf" style; mark played bass and a "michael" style of guitar; and michael played a "mark" style of guitar. and in the main role reversal, we the instrumental band decided to sing. you can see how we felt about this as we uncontrollably start laughing in the break near the end of the song.

day 3's goal was to write an ambient song. when we decided on this, each of us mentally envisioned a droning, spacious, blurred soundscape. we didn't write it together: one person laid down the minimal keyboard drone, then the next person would come in, listen to what the first person had done, then record something over it, then the next person, etc. (we all had multiple turns). after a while it became much more busy and more atonal. as we all listened and did the preliminary mixing, it began to remind us of insanity, of going crazy. someone remarked that it reminded them of the unplanned time we spent in syracuse during our very first tour in december 2000 (when our van broke down and we ended up spending 8 dementia-filled days in the freezing attic of some guys we had never met before, who were kind enough to let us stay there; we all truly entered into some form of lunacy or another during those 8 days). someone else remarked that we should watch the videotapes that we filmed during that time in syracuse. and sometime during that viewing, we made the connection that we could add some audio samples to the song, so we did.

day 4 was the only day where we completely failed to do what we set out to do. the goal we came up for this day was to write a "fast rock song, maybe with a punk rock beat" (actual quote of an actual statement). we then sat down to complete this task. several riffs were proffered. one long discussion ensued about how someone's part actually changed the "entire phrasing" of another person's part. the songwriting veered into a cigarette break. we revisited the riffs a while later, but it was clear that it wasn't working. so we went on to plan B, which involved chris laying down a drumbeat and everyone else trying to write parts around that beat. the track ends with chris throwing down his sticks and saying "there's no rhyme or reason to it."

day 5: in years past, we have occasionally remarked to each other about how we would like to make the "saddest dance record in the world." there is something about that concept that appeals to each of us. on this day we decided to try and see if we could actually do it. we did not completely fail: this is a dance song. however, it turned out to be the opposite of sad. this song does hold the distinction of probably having the most instruments we have ever used on an individual track: several layers of delayed guitars, e-bowed guitars, bass, piano, xylophone, hand bells, electronic drums, real drums, tambourine, and jingle bells. we are hoping someone will want to use it in the uplifting conclusion to a movie that takes place in a high school.

day 6's objective was to write a song that sounds like it is "on fire." so we started off playing the very loose rock part that begins the song (recorded live from the room adjacent to where we were playing, then overlaid with guitar and piano overdubs of what we were all playing). we weren't sure where that song could go, so we started almost inadvertently working on something else with no thought of the objective. we finished that and recorded it and listened to both the parts. we thought they matched and put them together.

day 7 saw us try to merely write a melancholy song. the noticeably unusual things are the acoustic guitar and the singing. the first time we sang (day 2) it was mostly for the fun and novelty of it (thus the laughing). this time we tried, for better or worse, to sing to add to the tone of the song.

day 8's goal was to write a goodbye. this track happened relatively quickly and naturally. the percussion is actually the sound of fingers tapping on a desk. we again used acoustic guitar. the handclaps are the last thing we recorded: all four of us standing around a microphone clapping our hands. and the rescue ended.

Haven't listened to it yet, but looks like it's really good.

[Ishotdanieljohnston]

I'm listenin to it now. For somethin recorded in 8 days it's pretty fuckin good. It proves how talented they all are- when put under such intense tim pressre they can produce somethin lots of bands have wets dreams about.

[fish across face]

Um, write and record...

[Gridgm]

this has been up there for about a year...i thought everyone knew about it

...sorry for not posting this topic sooner

[Ishotdanieljohnston]

All I'm saying is that for something they recorded themselves, wrote on the spot and prepared in one of their houses (hardly a studio)- it is fairly impressive that something so unamateurish  and enjoyable can come out of it. No, perhaps it isn't an amazing feat, I mean most true Jazz artists would record their stuff in half that time, but it does at least show their strength as a band. Most bands would spend months arguing over who writes what and what makes it into the record- what sound they want etc.- before they even enter a studio. This is pretty much improvised, which is alot better than most groups these days.

[greenMonkey]

Which is why I don't listen to "most groups these days".

I would have to say that The Rescue is one of EITS' more interesting recordings, and that it is more creative than some of their other albums.

[IronOxide]

I really like The Rescue, I actually first listened to EItS because they released this album for free on the internet. It's one of my favorite albums to fall asleep to (in a good way) or to listen to on trips.

[ScrambledGregs]

METALLICA METALLICA BOB ROCK METALLICA METALLICA BOB ROCK

Sorry, my eyes glazed over for a second. You were saying??

[imapiratearg]

I love The Rescue.  It's a breath of fresh air from the rest of Explosions' stuff.  Especially with all the ambient additions.

[Melodic]

I hate that I am too much of a goddamn audiophile to download these tracks unless they were in Apple Lossless.
Dammit.

[Will]

This is one of those albums that I kept telling myself that I'd get around to downloading eventually, but never did. Now I don't have to even search for a torrent or load Soulseek! Thanks, EITS! And thanks to you too, Mis, for posting this.

[greenMonkey]

I hate that I am too much of a goddamn audiophile to download these tracks unless they were in Apple Lossless.
Dammit.

Suck it up.  Actually, if you were a true audiophile you would only listen to it if you could get it on vinyl for your high quality, super expensive, completely analog sound system in your utterly sound-proofed, acoustically engineered room.

[Ben yayayayayayayay]

With robot ears 

[Caspian]

I've had this for a while. It's pretty decent. Still considering bands like Pelican recorded their enitre first full length in an afternoon, it's not that great. And obviously you've got all the jazz guys that improvise it all.

Still.. pretty enjoyable. Good background music, but it doesn't have much on Earth is a Cold Dead Place

[mberan42]

With robot ears 

Dude... Robot ears are digital.

[Ben yayayayayayayay]

booooooo