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Explosions in the Sky’s New Record Is Refreshing

‘The Wilderness’ has electronic textures that crumple and pulsate.

Explosions in the Sky’s New Record Is Refreshing

Five years and three full-length film soundtracks after their last album, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, Austin post-rock outfit Explosions in the Sky has tweaked its sound in a significant, refreshing way. Added are electronic textures that crumple and pulsate, like on the title track, “Wilderness,” and on the disjointed interlocking melodies of “Logic of a Dream.” The circular and syncopated guitar parts that defined their music in the past are still there, such as in the aptly titled “Infinite Orbit,” but rich chords that convey a sense of vastness are more striking. The Wilderness is conservatively experimental and atmospheric, albeit a paradox of ambient music that demands attention.