I think people have a lot of misconceptions about purely instrumental music. I often hear that it‰’s too simple, or too boring. Not relatable, or engaging enough. But in reality, instrumental music, that is executed properly and stylistically, has the power to connect the listener to the music on a level far different and, sometimes, more profoundly than music with lyrics. One of my favorite bands, Explosions In The Sky, achieves this very phenomenon: this overlooked ability in captivating an audience through the mere use of sound and melody. In particular, their song, “Postcard From 1952‰Û, epitomizes the qualities of all good instrumental music.

Like many of their pieces, things start low and slow, calm and collected, in order to prime the audience for the intense emotion that builds to an overwhelmingly moving point later on. A high-pitched drone, resembling the sound of ears ringing, soon accompanies the faint sound of overlapping, atmospheric guitar notes. As the tambourine comes in, transitioning into a slightly faster, yet equally beautiful phrase, the drums pick up and the volume increases. Together, these instrumental factors signify a sort of growth within the music, almost a brief period of resolution. The intensity grows and grows as each instrument, the guitars, the bass and the drums, repeats the same melodies and harmonies as the beginning of the song, only with slightly more conviction and purpose. As the intensity dies down, and the airy, hollow sound of individual guitar notes return, the listener is left with the same level of satisfaction that can be achieved through the use of lyrics. However, with instrumental music, the overall theme and lasting feeling to the listener is more open to interpretation and questioning, leaving the listener with a more personalized and individual music experience.

Listening to Explosions In The Sky is captivating, distracting, and thrilling, all at the same time. It‰’s the type of music that you can feel as the tones and colors of each instrument, layered together by incredible innovation and creativity, moves from the speakers to your ears. “Postcard From 1952‰” captures the essence of instrumental music. It magnifies the complicated emotions and feelings found in the simplest moments and is undoubtedly an extraordinary form of self-expression.