[asmox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masonjar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow.. I mean.. WOW.. There's a name I haven't heard mentioned in quite a few years. I saw them once..god.. about 12 years ago or so.. great band.

Yeah, great band. They're actually a recent discovery for me... ordered The Iridium Controversy on a whim, and I really like it. Feels sort of like TNT-era Tortoise mixed with Jaga Jazzist.

 

[SickMouthy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman /img/forum/go_quote.gif They would only be considered post-rock in the sense that they play rock music with an extremely forward-thinking approach. I think the term "post-rock" now comes to identify bands that play music with, to some extent, rock instrumentation, but with very elongated passages and more classical-influenced passages and structures. In that sense, Battles doesn't fit into that category much.

I'd agree with this but I think this narrowing of what the genre term means is a very bad thing, and has resulted in a lot of staid and formulaic music being made over the last ten years, when the whole idea of the genre was that it got rid of the formulas. As such I'm definitely OK with describing Battles as postrock; postrock ought to be 'what comes after rock' in the same way as postpunk is 'what comes after punk', and Battles are definitely that.

The Bark Psychosis and Talk Talk recommendations are key - Spirirt of Eden by the latter may be a better starting place than Laughing Stock though. Likewise Codename

ustsucker, BP's album from 2004, ten years after their first, is also fully excellent.

65daysofstatic's first and third albums are excellent; their new one especially so.

Electrelane are probably worth a look, too, for something more melodic, and also Gastr Del Sol, Tortoise, The Sea & Cake, Jim O'Rourke solo, lots of stuff...

 

[asmox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SickMouthy /img/forum/go_quote.gif postrock ought to be 'what comes after rock' in the same way as postpunk is 'what comes after punk'

I originally thought this was the case, as well... but I recently read that the "post" in post rock doesn't mean "after", but rather that it's an experimental and non-standard form of the genre in question.

As for what post rock is musically - I think Aman's description is correct in some cases, but not in others. The Mercury Program, for example, doesn't feature many elongated passages or classical structures, but rather provides a very airy, atmospheric, almost hypnotic sound that's condensed into concise songs with tight musicianship. Bands like Russian Circles and 65daysofstatic cross over into harder sonic territory with more of a rock feel, but still maintain that "texture over riffing" thing that grounds the music in post rock. Furthermore, there's a considerable difference between bands like... say... Giant Squid and Explosions in the Sky, or Red Sparowes and Mogwai. Some post rock bands feature cathartic releases of built up energy, while others just sort of meander around at a plodding pace with no end in sight, while yet others constantly shift and move in different directions. Somebody who loves the energetic flavor of a band like Tortoise might not enjoy the nigh-minimalism of a band like GYBE, and so forth.

I've always seen the unifying factors of post rock to include such things as dense atmospheres, heavy use of dynamics, creation of texture, and general non-rock use of otherwise rock instruments... but how these elements are brought together can differ wildly from band to band.

 

[SickMouthy]

You all need some Disco Inferno in your lives.

 

[squall2072]

The ascent of Everest
The pirate ship quintet
Yndi halda
Silver mt zion is a must as is the worlds end girlfriend/mono album.

Should help you out a little, the post rock forum is great and a lot more laid back in terms of language and content compared to head-fi

 

[blinx]

anything by

Trans Am
The Freakin champs (but its the real f bomb)

 

[Floodedstatue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SickMouthy /img/forum/go_quote.gif 65daysofstatic's first and third albums are excellent; their new one especially so.

The first album (The Fall Of Math) owns the other 2 albums put together. Definitely the one to get in my opinion and definitely a band worth checking out, especially if you can see them live...they are spectacular!!