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Post Rock's Future - instrumental music

GardenpartyGardenparty Posts: 1,908
edited November 2007 in Other Music
I've noticed a good amount of threads about instrumental bands over the past few months. Usually it is Explosions in the Sky, which is a sign that they are getting bigger by the day. However, these threads usually get on to people mentioning different instrumental bands and dying a quick death.

How do people feel about "post rock"? do you think it has a future of growing for a larger audience? There is such a great group of up and coming bands in the scene (US and internationally).

You look at the fathers of the genre like My Bloody Valentine, Slint, Mogwai, Godspeed, Sigur Ros etc, then the next wave EITS, Do Make Say Think, Mono, Tortoise and then the new school such as Caspian, This Will Destroy You, Russian Circles, Red Sparrows, 65 Days of Static and sooo many more just really cool unique bands.

Anybody have any thought on the future of the genre? As well, if you don't like it let me know your thoughts as well.

I'm very interested in peoples opinions.

thanks
“I know this song so well, I can smoke a cigarette, have a drink, brush my teeth, take a shit, and mow the lawn while singing it. But I'll only be doing a couple of those things during this version.”
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    itsevobabyitsevobaby Posts: 1,809
    i like it, especially explosions, sigur ros & mogwai, but it's certainly not everyones cup of tea. you have to be in the right mood to appreciate it as well, most of the songs a generally quite long & dramatic, filled with deep lulls & big climaxes, real landscape sounds, and it's hard to cram all that into 3-4 mins. but for me it really is an adventure in listening (to quote polyphonic spree)
    Look Alive,
    See These Bones
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    Tchoupchupacabra is my fav.


    http://www.tchoupchup.com

    myspace.com/tchoupchupacabra
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    GardenpartyGardenparty Posts: 1,908
    Tchoupchupacabra is my fav.


    http://www.tchoupchup.com

    myspace.com/tchoupchupacabra

    Is that your band?;)

    will check it out

    itsevo baby, i agree with you. A lot of it is very involved listening and requires a bit more than some people want to give. Some just find it dull without lyrics and others find it repetitive, whihc is understandable. However, lI find it to be really engaging. I'll throw on a Mono record from time to time and just do my own thinking as opposed to latching on to the singers.

    Also, like your sig states "it's evolution". A lot of the newer bands are learning just as much what not to do as what to do from the forbearers.

    You're hearing a lot more songs in the 3-6 minute range that are just as engaging.
    “I know this song so well, I can smoke a cigarette, have a drink, brush my teeth, take a shit, and mow the lawn while singing it. But I'll only be doing a couple of those things during this version.”
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    Todd76Todd76 Posts: 1,469
    I played godspeed you black emperor for one of my buddies the other night.....he says he is a fan of EITS, Mogwai, Russian Circles etc etc.....so I expected them to blow his mind. After listening for awhile he said "They are OK. Good background music", later he described them as "wallpaper" music......WTF????????

    I'm a huge fan of all the bands mentioned in the initial post......if you haven't already you should check out Set Fire To Flames (a gsybe side-project) - their album Sings Reign Rebuilder is pretty incredible
    In my world everyone is a pony,
    and they all eat rainbows and pooh butterflies!
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    itsevobabyitsevobaby Posts: 1,809
    I'll throw on a Mono record from time to time and just do my own thinking as opposed to latching on to the singers.
    yeah exactly, well put, and with music such as this you don't need lyrics, the music is enough to paint a scene and what it doesn't explain you can fill in yourself. it can be quite introspective, but then when the songs eventually break they're taken to a whole other level. there's usually so many elements & emotions involved. explosions 'first breath after a coma' is great example
    Look Alive,
    See These Bones
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    GardenpartyGardenparty Posts: 1,908
    Godspeed is a tough sell, especially to someone who doesn't listen to this genre in the first place. I'll admit that while I think they were amazing, they aren't really my thing. You can't forget that they were really working by their own rules at the time, whichmakes their work so astonishing. As far as I know, there was really nothing like it at the time to draw influence from (though i'm sure they can name a handfull of direct influences)

    Do you guys go out and actively search for new instrumental bands to listen to or just work on reccomendations?

    I like to check out the Silent Ballet and After the post rock to see what people are saying. Then i'll hit up a myspace or a homepage and see if I dig it. I can usually tell pretty quickly, which is a good and a bad thing. I may be passing up some artists that could really grow on me. But again with the amount of bands it's tough to check it all out. Plus, there are some pretty atrocious bands out there, just like any genre.
    “I know this song so well, I can smoke a cigarette, have a drink, brush my teeth, take a shit, and mow the lawn while singing it. But I'll only be doing a couple of those things during this version.”
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    You look at the fathers of the genre like My Bloody Valentine, Slint, Mogwai, Godspeed, Sigur Ros etc, then the next wave EITS, Do Make Say Think, Mono, Tortoise and then the new school such as Caspian, This Will Destroy You, Russian Circles, Red Sparrows, 65 Days of Static and sooo many more just really cool unique bands.

    Don't take this as an attack or anything, but your history is a little fuzzy here. Tortoise shouldn't be classified as part of the "next wave" considering they've been together for almost eighteen years and released their first record in 1994. Do Make Say Think, either, for that matter.

    Anyway, "post-rock" is some of my favorite music. I tend to like the heavy hitters best (there's a reason they're the most well-known), but I also like exploring the wide range of other groups out there. Although I can't seem to get too much out of a lot of the newer bands, there are some who I think have serious potential to mark themselves as important as the big guys some time in the future.

    Yndi Halda, Always the Runner, Bell Orchestre, Hangedup, and Sickoakes are just a few of the relatively new bands that get stuck under the "post-rock" umbrella that I think are really good and manage to distinguish themselves from everyone else. Also, I have to agree with Gardenparty, the Silent Ballet is a good resource for looking for new stuff, especially through their comilation series.
    I discovered the secret of life, but forgot to write it down.
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    GardenpartyGardenparty Posts: 1,908
    Don't take this as an attack or anything, but your history is a little fuzzy here. Tortoise shouldn't be classified as part of the "next wave" considering they've been together for almost eighteen years and released their first record in 1994. Do Make Say Think, either, for that matter.

    Yndi Halda, Always the Runner, Bell Orchestre, Hangedup, and Sickoakes are just a few of the relatively new bands that get stuck under the "post-rock" umbrella that I think are really good and manage to distinguish themselves from everyone else. Also, I have to agree with Gardenparty, the Silent Ballet is a good resource for looking for new stuff, especially through their comilation series.

    Yeah, you're right on Tortoise. DMST, i don't think was even near the radar until they released Enemy Airship in '00, and as far as influence I don't put them anywhere near the first tier. I put Sigur Ros in the first one more because of their impact and acclaim then when they started releasing music.

    But, as long as you got the basic jist that's all that matters. Nice work on the Sickoakes as well. them's are some tasty jamz
    “I know this song so well, I can smoke a cigarette, have a drink, brush my teeth, take a shit, and mow the lawn while singing it. But I'll only be doing a couple of those things during this version.”
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    I've noticed a good amount of threads about instrumental bands over the past few months. Usually it is Explosions in the Sky, which is a sign that they are getting bigger by the day. However, these threads usually get on to people mentioning different instrumental bands and dying a quick death.

    How do people feel about "post rock"? do you think it has a future of growing for a larger audience? There is such a great group of up and coming bands in the scene (US and internationally).

    You look at the fathers of the genre like My Bloody Valentine, Slint, Mogwai, Godspeed, Sigur Ros etc, then the next wave EITS, Do Make Say Think, Mono, Tortoise and then the new school such as Caspian, This Will Destroy You, Russian Circles, Red Sparrows, 65 Days of Static and sooo many more just really cool unique bands.

    Anybody have any thought on the future of the genre? As well, if you don't like it let me know your thoughts as well.

    I'm very interested in peoples opinions.

    thanks

    To be honest, 'post rock' bands didn't invent any new genre. It's just ambient, contemorary progressive rock IMO. It's nothing which hasn't been done before; it is very pleasant, however, even beautiful, and that's why I listen to it. To my mind, it's rock music with an ear towards classical and orchestral music, with different movements and moods. Post rock bands write pieces of music rather than 'songs' in a traditional sense, but even this isn't new. People have been making beautiful, atmospheric pieces of music for centuries. This is just some of it.

    Post rock will not die because it never really started.
    'We're learning songs for baby Jesus' birthday. His mum and dad were Merry and Joseph. He had a bed made of clay and the three kings bought him Gold, Frankenstein and Merv as presents.'

    - the great Sir Leo Harrison
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    soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,208
    To be honest, 'post rock' bands didn't invent any new genre. It's just ambient, contemorary progressive rock IMO. It's nothing which hasn't been done before; it is very pleasant, however, even beautiful, and that's why I listen to it. To my mind, it's rock music with an ear towards classical and orchestral music, with different movements and moods. Post rock bands write pieces of music rather than 'songs' in a traditional sense, but even this isn't new. People have been making beautiful, atmospheric pieces of music for centuries. This is just some of it.

    Post rock will not die because it never really started.

    i kinda feel the same way. i enjoy sigur ros and explosions in the sky, but that's about where it stops for me. i don't have the subtle ear to handle much more. even sigur ros songs tend to blur together to me eventually.
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    i kinda feel the same way. i enjoy sigur ros and explosions in the sky, but that's about where it stops for me. i don't have the subtle ear to handle much more. even sigur ros songs tend to blur together to me eventually.

    Interesting you mention the 'subtle ear' - that's true, some can listen to Sigur Ros for hours and get something new from it every time. Other people hear a song and they either like it or they don't; they won't faff around, which is fair enough. I have a friend like that and he wouldn't force himself to listen to a Sigur Ros album. I like Godspeed as well; they seem to be darker than Sigur Ros and maybe slightly more filmic (maybe I'm just saying that because they were used in 28 Days Later, but still...).
    'We're learning songs for baby Jesus' birthday. His mum and dad were Merry and Joseph. He had a bed made of clay and the three kings bought him Gold, Frankenstein and Merv as presents.'

    - the great Sir Leo Harrison
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    Jeremy1012Jeremy1012 Posts: 7,170
    I shall try to amass my thoughts on the Post-Rock genre.

    1. Godspeed You! Black Emperor are (were... hiatus) the best band in the world
    2. Explosions in the Sky's music is pretty, although bland and tedious after a while. They haven't done anything that Mogwai didn't do first and better.
    3. Tortoise are the most overlooked band of the 'genre'
    4. A Silver Mt Zion are like Arcade Fire if the Arcade Fire were better
    5. Sigur Ros' music is almost impossibly beautiful
    6. All of the lesser known bands on Constellation Records (DMST, Set Fire to Flames, Hrsta, Fly Pan Am) are worth listening to.
    7. Lift Yr Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven is the best post-rock (and all-time in my opinion) album. No other post-rock album comes close.
    8. The 'genre' itself doesn't really exist. The only reason the Constellation records bands sound similar is that they are inbred. EITS sound NOTHING like GY!BE and certainly Slint sound nothing like either.
    9. The 'genre' is, in general, stagnating. There are too many Mogwai clones and not enough bands doing anything different. Most of the music is, however, great to listen to in small doses.
    "I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead, I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land — every colour, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike — all snored in the same language"
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    Above any of these bands mentioned... Siggy Rós always takes the 1st place prize... the music is just simply beautiful, his voice and the Hopelandic language that he uses is just so good... and the strings are just amazing. With that said, I need to see them live.
    If I could, think I would give in.
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    Also, I'd like to add "The Album Leaf" as a newer post-rock band... and they're right up there with Siggy Rós.. for one of their CDs, "In a Safe Place", it was recorded at the studio that Siggy Rós records... and most of the members of Siggy Rós contributed to the CD, as well as a member of Amiina and Múm.

    If you want one song to check out by the Album Leaf... listen to "Over the Pond"... it's sooo good.
    If I could, think I would give in.
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    stu geestu gee Posts: 1,174
    Mogwai are one of the few bands i could honestly listen to all day long. Had all their studio albums on my ipod and a few live shows (untill i lost it) and would listen to them constantly. I think a lot of people listen to music like it quickly and arent really grabbed by it but some of the stuff Mogwai have produced is incredible. I like Sigur Ros as well, going to attempt to get into Explosions in the Sky next i think, have heard a lot of people talking about them.
    People say im paranoid. Well, they dont say it, but i know that's what they are thinking.
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