Prince Avalanche [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

It’s an experiment in construction, its sandbox carefully sparse. Fitting then, that Explosions In The Sky find that elusive spark and thrive in such surroundings.

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.

Scattered moments show the band capturing a spark of creativity to make this exercise in using different instruments for very specific purposes mean something similar to their LPs. The results are some of the more exciting moments of the band’s recent output.

Dramatic tension exists throughout, but in ways Explosions fans aren't used to hearing from the band. [No. 102, p.54]

It feels unanchored and tremulous, without EITS’s signature drums--but it’s still beautiful.

With 15 tracks spanning 38 minutes, there aren’t a whole lot of opportunities to connect or build on ideas, but the artists do a fine job of traversing dynamics.

As a standalone record, however, Prince Avalanche OST captures a new way for Explosions in the Sky to make instrumental music, even if that requires some circumspection that pulls too tightly on the reins when a looser grip might have been the right move.

It's an ensemble work, but the tremulous "An Old Peasant Like Me" is especially affecting. [Sep 2013, p.87]

Of course, like any soundtrack, there are a number of pieces that end as quickly as they begin (“Fires,” “The Adventures Of Alvin and Lance”), their existence only making sense in the context of the film itself. Overall, however, Prince Avalanche contains songs that make this an album you can spin even if you have no interest in the film itself while illustrating the versatility of both EITS and Wingo.

The soundtrack to David Gordon Green's slacker comedy works on a smaller scale, capturing fleeting moments in a series of reflective interludes that often pair long, sustained notes over plucked acoustic guitar.