Austin's Explosions In The Sky play powerful instrumental indie-rock that has been compared to Mogwai and Sigur Ros and are widely lauded by critics. Their live shows have become so popular that their Emo's show in March has been sold out for weeks, and multiple-night runs are now needed in cities like New York and Toronto. After a three-plus year wait, EITS's new album All Of A Sudden, I Miss Everyone arrives on Tuesday. The band will commemorate the occasion with a performance on Late Night With Conan O'Brien Tuesday evening on NBC. The network has also highlighted EITS's work by frequently using their music in the Austin-lensed Friday Night Lights.

We recently spoke with guitarist Mark Smith of Explosions In The Sky about the new record, remixes, the grind of a world tour, and the joys of the NBA.

1. Your new album was recorded in Minnesota. Simply put, why?

We had no money when we recorded the last record (The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place), so we ended up getting the cheapest option our recording engineer John Congleton could find, which turned out to be a pretty impersonal studio in Dallas surrounded by parking lots and sound stages. So for this new record we wanted a better setting, and we had heard about the place in Minnesota called Pachyderm Studios, probably best known for being the studio where Nirvana recorded "In Utero." So we looked at pictures on the Internet and it looked beautiful, and it was even better than we hoped--perfect seclusion in the wilderness.

2. Does the location have anything to do with the title All Of A Sudden, I Miss Everyone?

No, the title was chosen long before we recorded the album--in fact the album title came before we even wrote one note.

3. Since we don't have lyrics to interpret, were there any specific subjects or emotions you were trying to channel into this set of songs?

The words that kept coming up when we started writing were loneliness, seclusion, and regret (speaking to our mindsets at the time, I guess). So from those we just kind of constructed a story of an isolated person, thinking back to memories, both joyous and regretful.

4. "Welcome, Ghosts" sounds like it will be incredible live. While that's our favorite, do you have a new song you're most excited about on the disc?

That is actually my favorite new song to play live--I like the driving energy and warmth. But I would say I'm equally excited about "Catastrophe and the Cure," which has an urgency and immediacy (when we play it right), and the end is pretty frenetic and Munaf puts down the guitar and plays a snare drum along with Chris playing the drums.

5. Who came up with the idea of a remix disc for this record? Did you like the results?

We'd love to take credit, but that was the brainchild of Jeremy Devine, who runs Temporary Residence, the label that we're on. We were in fact pretty skeptical of the idea, I have to say--but mostly because the idea came up so late in the process that we basically had to agree to the remix disc without having time to approve the actual remixes. So that was scary ( i.e., even if we didn't like a particular remix, there would be no time to ask the person to re-do it). So we just narrowed down the remixers to six people/bands that we really trust, and we're ecstatic about the results. I can listen to the remixes a lot, without feeling kind of silly about listening to my own music. I think Four Tet's remix is absolutely superb, one of the best remixes I've ever heard. And Adem's version of "Welcome, Ghosts" is beautiful and imaginative--he didn't remix it, he actually covers the song on different instruments. But I honestly love them all.

6. How do you feel about the TV version of Friday Night Lights and its frequent use of your catalog?

I've watched the first four episodes, and I feel fine--I think it's a quality show, and I like the way they use our music, and the subject and setting are still close to our hearts, just like the movie was. It's funny how much weight you can give to your past and your hometown--for example, if the book had not been about Midland/Odessa, would it have been as appealing to us? Probably not. But it was.

7. On the upcoming tour, you are playing some truly impressive places: club shows in Western Europe, London's huge Astoria, and even Coachella. Is there a particular locale you are excited to visit or play?

I'm excited about all of those, especially since when we haven't toured in so long (our last real tour was in 2005). The place I'm most excited to go is Australia later in the year, which we've never been to. And hopefully to New Zealand as well, while we're down there. Nothing to do with music, those are just some places I've always wanted to go, and we're lucky to have music take us there. I'm also excited about playing the Lincoln Center in New York as part of a concert series that generally showcases classical music--it's just really flattering that they asked us.

8. Did you enjoy the festival experience of playing ACL Fest in September, or do you prefer indoor shows?

Both--we enjoyed ACL a lot more than we thought we might (not that we dreaded it or anything close, but it's strange to play big outdoor places), and a lot more than many other festivals. But we all unsurprisingly prefer the intimacy and energy of smaller club shows.

9. When in Austin, what are your favorite places?

We're all pretty in love with our own houses, maybe a bit too much. I don't know if it stems from us going out on tour so much for many years, and then we get back and we just appreciate the comfort and familiarity of our own houses, but anyway, we're all kind of homebodies. We do have quite a fondness for our practice space (up north), and the many restaurants (with a special nod to Trudy's, all locations) in which we have band meetings. And the Alamo Drafthouse enriches our lives quite nicely as well. I also really like the End of an Ear record store.

10. How do you prepare yourself for the grind of a lengthy multi-country tour? It is exciting (or just intimidating) to have such a busy schedule?

Well, when I look at the itinerary for the year, I tremble, and I don't know if it's excitement or fear. I don't think there's any way around it--it's going to be an insane year. We've had our time at home, our video games and televisions and afternoon naps, and we're excited to go out all over the world and play new songs for new people.

11. We'll end on a frivolous note...we've heard that the band loves the NBA. If so, who is your team, and how do you like their chances this year?

We do indeed love the NBA, and I assure you it's not frivolous to us. Chris doesn't follow basketball as much as the rest of us, but he likes Phoenix, and Michael's teams are Phoenix and Cleveland. Munaf's team is the Knicks, and the only thing I can say about that is that I admire his loyalty. And my team is the Dallas Mavericks, and since I am answering the interview, I will speak to their chances: In short, I personally guarantee a Mavericks championship this year. They have the coach of the year (Avery), the MVP (Dirk), the best supporting cast (Terry and Howard), the X-factor (Stackhouse), the experience and drive (after last year's heartbreaker), and the versatility (can play up-tempo or half-court sets). And they don't want to see Mark Cuban crying on his treadmill again.

Explosions In The Sky play UT's Hogg Auditorium on March 4th (for UT students only) and Emo's on March 5th. The Emo's show is sold out.

[Explosions In The Sky Official Site]
[Explosions In The Sky MySpace]

Image via Justin Cox.

Explosions In The Sky as featured on Friday Night Lights: