Post-rock: Difference between revisions

The term post-rock was coined by Simon Reynolds in issue 123 of The Wire (May 1994) to describe a sort of music "using rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes, using guitars as facilitators of timbres and textures rather than riffs and power chords."

Originally used to describe the music of such bands as Stereolab, Disco Inferno, Seefeel, Bark Psychosis and Pram, it spread out to be frequently used for all sorts of jazz- and Krautrock-influenced, instrumental, electronica-added music made after 1994. Bands from the early 1990s such as Slint, or earlier, such as Talk Talk were influential on this genre. As with many musical genres, the term is arguably inadequate: it is used for the music of Tortoise as well as that of Mogwai, two bands who have very little in common besides the fact that their music is largely instrumental.

The aforementioned Tortoise was among the founders of the movement. After the second Tortoise LP Millions Now Living Will Never Die, the band became a post-rock icon. After Millions... many bands (e.g., Do Make Say Think) began to record music inspired by the "Tortoise-sound", and were often described as post-rock.

In the late nineties, Chicago, Illinois, became the home base of many different groups. John McEntire (of Tortoise) became an important producer for lots of them, as well as Jim O'Rourke (of Brice-Glace, Gastr del Sol and many more). Post-rock began to range from the slow, guitar-based ambience of Boxhead Ensemble to the up-tempo electronica of Stereolab.

Montreal, Quebec band Godspeed You Black Emperor! — later renamed 'Godspeed You! Black Emperor' — incorporated a political element with leanings toward the alter-/anti-globalization movement.

By the early 2000s, the term had started to fall out of favor. It became increasingly controversial as more critics outwardly condemned its use. Even the bands for whom the term was most frequently assigned (for example, Cul de Sac, Tortoise, and Mogwai) rejected the label that it placed on them. The wide range of styles covered by the term most likely robbed it of its usefulness.

Closely related to post-rock is the genre known as Math rock, characterized by more percussive timbres, more dissonant harmonic gestures, and more prog-influenced arrangements.

The post-rock approach to music, including emphasis on instrumental work and sound textures, is similar to the earlier New Age movement, which came out of the modern folk tradition.

As time has moved on, certain elements of the post-rock asthetics have become more commercial and likened by todays music buying market. Bands such as Yourcodenameis:Milo and Hope Of The States have taken influence from bands such as Mogwai, using their quiet-loud-quiet-loud approach to song writing. Luckily, this movement hasn't caught on as such and many new post-rock bands are emerging and keeping true to the 'left field' nature of the genre.

New bands in the scene include Detwiije, Rejetson, Red Sparrowes and Souvaris.

Wider experimentation and blending of other genres have taken hold in the post-rock scene as well with bands such as 65daysofstatic and From Monument To Masses incorporating electronica and sampling elements into their tracks. The lines between post-rock and emo are also slowing being blurred by bands such as Peace Burial at Sea and Youthmovie Sound Track Strategies.

• List of post-rock bands

• Mp3 Post Rock Blog
• Reynolds' article
• Post-rock bands
• Post-rock labels & media