Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (Temporary Residence)

Take Care, Take Care, Take Care sees Explosion In The Sky back with their first full-length studio effort since 2007's All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone. That record, and gems such as The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place and Those That Tell The Truth Shall Die firmly established the band as post-rock A-listers along with the likes of God Speed and Mogwai.

Yet here, if not quite turning their back on that template, they've twisted sideways. In place of exquisitely-placed chiming notes slowly building to ecstatic catharctic crescendos of beautiful noise (hey, let's call them explosions), the dominant feel of this six-track 45-minute outing is more reflective and refined.

It takes a bit of getting used to when the first quarter-hour of an album - the first two tracks 'Last Known Surroundings' and 'Human Qualities' – fail to offer the sort of “money shot” musical climax you expect. The sweet melody and stately tempo of the latter sounds like Elizabethan court musicians asked to compose a pavane for electric guitars.

Once you start tuning into the new mood, however, there are positives to see if you want to see them. 'Be Comfortable, Creature' has a folky sweetness veering into the sort of backwoods melancholy you'd expect more from Bon Iver than EITS – restrained, sure, but certainly beautiful. 'Let Me Back In', meanwhile, is a relaxed 10-minute slalom from captivating Gothic noir into spacious Pat Metheny prettiness and back again. 'Postcards From 1952' stands out as perhaps the most successful fusion of past style with the band's new mood – a gorgeous melange of crisp drums and jangling guitar cascades that exudes the passion of old.

You have to applaud a band of EITS' skill in going for a new direction – but as the title says, they should take care not to lose too much of the passionate intensity that made us love them in the first place.