Prince Avalanche [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

Although their cinematic post-rock has been used as soundtrack material in the past, having served as the backdrop for Friday Night Lights as well as countless television appearances, Explosions in the Sky's collaboration with David Wingo finds their sound taking on a whole new shape on their original score for the David Gordon Green film Prince Avalanche. Wingo, a frequent collaborator with Green, brings a subdued ambience to the table, reigning in Explosions in the Sky's crescendo-laden sonic expanses without subduing their plaintiveness, giving the whole album a feeling that's more contemplative than cathartic. Conversely, the Austin quartet add a sense of gradually building momentum to Wingo's quiet drone. This shared sense of influence not only makes for a very thoughtful and well-balanced pairing from the two artists, but as the score for a film about two brothers working in solitude while painting lines on a country highway, this feeling of meeting in the middle feels especially appropriate. For fans of Explosions in the Sky, Prince Avalanche is a pretty different album from any of their other work, and even though the band has made many an appearance on soundtracks, this feels like the first time their typically widescreen sound has really changed to fit the material, rather than the material fitting their sound. All told, Prince Avalanche is a beautifully subtle and introspective score that highlights the strong points of its composers while serving the needs of the film it was written for. ~ Gregory Heaney