[Blork]

Well, my frustration with genre names is getting pretty intense.

Listening to music from bands such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai, The Dirty Three, Tortoise and Stereolab. I find it kind of strange that all of these bands are considered post-rock, perhaps the only really linking element is the use of electric guitar.

The first 3 bands on the above list seem to veer closer to a more clasical, string oriented sound. While the later bands combine elemnts of jazz and rock with electronics.

So what is up with considering this music post-rock?

Oh yeah and I would love some musical recomendations based upon the first 3 post-rock bands. Something similar with perhaps a more classical sound could be a very intresting and hopefully engrossing listen?

 

[Davey]

I made a post-rock compilation a few years ago and wrote out a description for it that kind of answers your questions and gives some other examples.

1. Stereolab - Metronomic Underground from Emperor Tomato Ketchup
2. Mouse On Mars - Bib from Iaora Tahiti
3. Mogwai - Mogwai Fear Satan from Young Team
4. Slint - Nosferatu Man from Spiderland
5. Tortoise - Djed from Millions Now Living Will Never Die
6. Bark Psychosis - A Street Scene from Hex
7. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Antennas to Heaven from Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven

August 2001. This is a short trip through some of my favorite albums that fall under the much maligned post-rock heading and covers the time from the beginnings of the genre in 1991 with Slint (although Talk Talk is often credited with taking rock music to this new and undefined place with their magnificent Spirit of Eden album in 1988) to the present with GYBE's 2000 release. Sometimes termed experimental rock and sometimes even called non-musical since atmospherics and free jazz elements often replace structure, most of it on this comp is fairly accessible and some of it is even quite melodic It begins with the opening track from my favorite Stereolab album and a good dose of some driving, cool, French synth-pop. And then gets a little more playful with the electro-organic sounds of Germany's Mouse On Mars and some echoes of Kraftwerk. This is followed by Mogwai performing a 16 minute epic that builds from a quiet beginning to loud passages which then recedes back to quiet and continues to repeat almost like a swirling storm. It has become something of a blueprint for many post-rock experiments. Slint's Spiderland album is often said to be one of the defining moments in the beginning of post-rock with its angular twin guitars and long, rambling, mathematical songs and has probably been vaulted to a place higher than it truly deserves, but it's hard to minimize the far reaching effects this album seems to have had in the world of 90s experimental music. This track shows the heavier side and harder edge that characterizes some of the artists in this wide-ranging genre. One of the offshoots of Slint's demise was Tortoise, another guitar-driven, electronically-textured, experimental band from Chicago. The wonderful 21 minute Djed included here opens my favorite Tortoise album. Bark Psychosis never received much attention before the Hex album and despite much critical acclaim after its release, the long and arduous recording process drained them emotionally and financially leading to the band's demise shortly thereafter. What a testament it is then, to a band at its creative peak, taking inspiration from late-period Talk Talk and crafting some of the decade's most compelling music. The term post-rock can actually be traced to a Simon Reynolds review of this album in 1993. Godspeed You Black Emperor! is one of the more popular of today's newer bands in this wildly experimental genre. They are comprised of at least 9 musicians playing a wide variety of instruments to give their music an orchestral space rock sound. The track included here is the final of the four "movements" on their latest 2-CD set and stretches out over almost 19 minutes. Some favorites not represented include June of 44, Kreidler, Gastr del Sol (and other Jim O'Rourke projects), Low, Laika, Sigur Ros, Rachel's, Cul de Sac, Dirty Three, Labradford and many others.

 

[GuineaMcPig]

I've never heard Stereolab referred to as Post-rock, but I guess the definition is subjective. I would just say that post-rock combines rock instrumentation and song structure with other forms (jazz, electronica, orchestral music) into a genre that is vaguely "rock" but doesn't "rock" the way that Zeppelin & The Who did. The thinking man's rock, if you will!

 

[Rempert]

Listening to a few random tracks by Mogwai, they are all clearly rock songs. Despite all the crazy stuff going on around it, the bass line and chord structure on these songs could have been ripped straight from a Beatles album.

As for the infinite and often indistinguishable sub-genres of rock, and why some of them have absurd names like "post-rock" which are neither meaningful nor accurate, I have no comment

 

[Kali]

Explosions In The Sky - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place .. easily one of my favourite albums of last year.. please do yourself a favour and get it.. its more GYBE! than Mogwai, and absolutely stunning, long buildups to shimmering climaxes, two seen them live last month and they literally blew me away, had to pick my jaw up off the ground.. I've seen Mogwai twice and they were nowhere as good.

 

[Masonjar]

I can't reccomend this album enough. It's beautiful, stunning, moving, shimmering, quiet, and riveting all at once. Yes, they took a large chunk of inspiration from Talk Talk, but still, what an amazing album. Since discovering this record a few years back it has definately moved into my top 10 of the 90's, maybe even #3 behind LOVELESS and SPIDERLAND.

Another artist that I think could easily fall under the post-rock banner is Paul Schutze. His albums NEW MAPS OF HELL and SITE ANUBIS, though pretty much improvisational, mine the same musical psychology that brought us most of the other post rockers like GY!BE and Mogwai.. building waves of sound, rising and falling, moments of sheer beauty and walls of noise. More jazzy, not quite as guitar-oriented, but awesome nonetheless.

-jar

 

[stymie miasma]

Dirty Three - out of many artists mentioned here (GY!BE, Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky etc), it is the Dirty Three that spend the most time 'on my decks'.

Back on topic - I too am confused by what defines 'post rock', but I sometimes like to think of it as the rock equivalent of IDM

 

[Davey]

BTW, just thought I would add that while it's more fun to talk about a question like this with the people here, you can always just go to AMG at http://www.allmusic.com/ and type in post-rock and select styles and it will take you to a page with a big description along with important artists and songs and most accessed artists and style maps ansd related styles and, with some styles and genres, even essays on the subject. You can also get there by clicking one the styles listed for an artist.

 

[markl]

Frankly, post rock bores me. When post-rock was new (early/mid-90s) I bought a lot of these CDs based on reviews, and never ended up keeping a single one. IMO, so-called "post-rock" never took off, and certainly did not sound the death-knell of good old rock 'n roll. So what do we have now, "post-post rock"?

 

[Ebonyks]

Thank you for your completely irrelvant thread crap markl.

My favorate supposed post-rock band is probably m83, imagine what my bloody valentine would sound like if they limited themselves entirely to midi-based instruments, truly a sight to behold.

Their album from last year "Dead citites, red seas, lost ghosts" is amazing, and any fans of post-rock owe it to themselves to pick it up.

 

[XXhalberstramXX]

markl: please stop being idiotic

M83 is pretty awesome, i'll second that reccomendation. definately some MBV flavor, but not as much as i was lead to believe. they kinda have a "if MBV covered sigur ros" sound. its simple music, but beautifully done.

 

[Davey]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ebonyks Thank you for your completely irrelvant thread crap markl.

I think some of you guys are a little too sensitive. I even agree with Mark to a certain extent, but there is so much really great music labelled as post rock that isn't boring at all - you have to wonder what albums he's referring to. And that would make for a good discussion, something that is kind of missing around here most of the time. But Slint boring? Bark Psychosis boring? Mogwai boring? Ok, sometimes Mogwai can get a little boring, but Mogwai Fear Satan is a classic. What a great song. And Laika wouldn't even know how to be boring. Or Cul de Sac. Or many of the others like M83. I say open it up and let people speak their mind. The thread wasn't really started as a post-rock lovefest, at least it didn't seem that way to me

 

[XXhalberstramXX]

the reason why markl's comment is idiotic is not because he doesn't like post-rock. hell, 90% of it doesn't hold my attention for more than 5 minutes. The reason why his comment is idiotic can be easily seen the following passage:
Quote:

IMO, so-called "post-rock" never took off, and certainly did not sound the death-knell of good old rock 'n roll.

First off, i really don't understand what he could possibly mean by "took off". as in, "Took over the top 40 R&B charts" or "Took over the musical landscape as we know it"? well OF COURSE it didn't. i highly doubt that any post-rock bands have dillusions that their music will destroy rock music as we know it (although i have read some pompous interviews with Sigur Ros). Markl's comment is idiotic because he ignores the fact that these post-rock bands are probably just personally bored with the constraints of modern rock and roll and feel the need to do something a bit different. I think many post-rock bands have succceeded admirably in that aim. ****loads of people like them (for indie bands, that is), and they seem to like what they do. music isn't a contest. there is no best band, best genre, or best melody. if you don't believe that, you're an idiot (in my book).

 

[Distroyed]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl IMO, so-called "post-rock" never took off, and certainly did not sound the death-knell of good old rock 'n roll.

Post-rock wasn't a movement meant for the masses; it would have been destroyed if it ever "took off."

I do have a question, for those who are more familiar with the genre; what would you recommend that has no vocals in it?

As for my contribution, I highly recommend Manual as well as Orion, both of whom lean on the melancholy with electronic instrumentation side.

 

[Masonjar]

Quote:

Originally posted by Distroyed Post-rock wasn't a movement meant for the masses; it would have been destroyed if it ever "took off." I do have a question, for those who are more familiar with the genre; what would you recommend that has no vocals in it? As for my contribution, I highly recommend Manual as well as Orion, both of whom lean on the melancholy with electronic instrumentation side.

w/o vocals.. check out Cul de Sac's CRASHES TO LIGHT, MINUTES TO ITS FALL. A Wonderful, psychedelic album of instrumental bliss.. these guys paint some awesome musical pictures. Kind of proggy, sometimes folky, with touches of middle-eastern vibes thrown in. Worth checking out. Also, if you like your music a little more proggy and rocking, might I suggest the singerless group Don Caballero. For some awesome neo-Crimson guitar interplay, check out DON CABALLERO II.

-jar