Everyone is afraid of being a rock star. We ogle the pretty boys and girls of excess and self-absorption, but we don't want to become them for fear of their abuses. While we admire rock bombast, rebellion, and pomposity, we normal folk can't fully embrace that lifestyle and loosen the shackles of comfort and structure that everyday folk enjoy. They play hard to get, and we're continuously drawn into their own little wild worlds. Still we're critical of rock star otherworldliness and can pride ourselves for being down to earth and socially engaged. We criticize rock culture for not being egalitarian or reciprocal. It's a very strained and unhealthy relationship.

Case in point: Austin's four-piece instrumental group Explosions in the Sky. Rising to stardom quickly due to their intense live shows and tours with fellow Texas natives American Analog Set and ... And You Shall Know Us By Our Trail of Dead, Explosions in the Sky have built a solid reputation of long-winded art-rock. Most recently they have embarked on a comprehensive tour of the United States before the premiere of Billy Bob Thornton's upcoming film, Friday Night Lights, for whose soundtrack they are responsible. Thursday night's show at the Middle East in Cambridge saw the band in earnest form, to take to the stage and build their highly emotional canvases.

Explosions in the Sky perform their interactive, thoughtful music that evolves with the same shape of the creative performance in which the songs come into being. The highly repetitious but melodic guitar lines that intertwine and comment contrapuntally build with the direction that is immediately exciting, even for the uninitiated, as it mimics the process of music being created before our eyes, without the expected turns and marked points of many pop songs. It's far more organic and shared, which makes their music all the more critical and engaging.

The band relentlessly banged away at their instruments with purpose and urgency. They tread in a circular motion reminiscent of a pious ritual. Frequently they collapsed with emotional and physical exhaustion, still playing as they sat on the floor of the stage, allowing their instruments to come in and out of tune as they fiddled with their complex and sweeping guitar sounds.

The music is not pretentious, tiresome, or heady, but emotionally dynamic and accessible. The first time listener could easily become enraptured with Explosions in the Sky's live set alone. Above all, it is immediately engaging. The humble and unassuming performance of the band is very meditative and invokes a genuine contemplative state. It's one of the few shows where the crowd noticeably shuts their eyes to "internalize" the music.

The amazing and intense performance was however, grounded by an abhorrent sound mix. While the lead guitar (Munaf Rayani) and drums (Chris Hrasky) were very present, the bass and second guitar, an integral part of the sound and mix, were unfortunately overpowered in the mix. Usually, these mistakes are reconcilable, so long as the vocals remain strong and the band present. However with the vitality and subtlety of the bands instrumental sounds, this deficiency in live sound was apparent.

In an effective performance, the disciplined band tuned the audience out for the duration of the set to focus on their own craft and intensity. Even so, they played their set from start to finish as a whole unit, uninterrupted by song changes, banter, or encores. One can't fault Explosions in the Sky for exclusivity or self-involvement. Rather they merit only praise them for their commitment to intense performance. In this frame, Explosions in the Sky proved themselves to have more integrity than the majority of rockstars and "artists" one usually comes across. Their backs seem contoured by many-a-night spent sleeping on transient floors. However their shtick is not that of excessive showiness but dynamic shaping of energy and self-effacement. The music is languid and highly dramatic, but never frivolous. Simply put, Explosions in the Sky is composed of a bunch of nice, modest guys who make really thoughtful music.