A Primer on Post-Rock:

What it is and the dynamics of their most notable bands.

by Renato

Post-rock is a relatively new genre; one that I like to listen to frequently.  Surfacing in the 80’s and 90’s out of the indie scene, many of the early post rock bands actually sound nothing alike and the genre is so general that many different bands fall into its incredibly vague category. 

These days, what characterizes a post-rock band is more of how they use their instruments.  The instruments, all generally used in rock music, are used to create melodies and harmonies typically not found in rock music.  One great example is in vocals:  In a traditional rock band, you will have a singer; this singer will have their own lyrics, and use pitch and melody to get their lyrics out to be recognized by the audience.  In a post-rock band, lyrics are sometimes non-existent; a singer is sometimes replaced by the whole band, who use their voice as an extra instrument to the song. The “words” that are sung are so low that they are indistinguishable, sometimes to the point that they [the lyrics] are actually just babble. 

What they are trying to do is not focus on the words of the song, but the entire song itself.  Much like one listening to an entire orchestra, one wouldn’t just focus on the clarinet or the violin (although an enthusiast will pay attention to those parts a little more so than the others), an orchestra is meant to be enjoyed as a whole, as are the pieces in a post-rock group.  Below are examples of some of the most notable post -rock bands today. Those of you who follow post-rock will most likely already know of all of them, but if you are unfamiliar with the genre, I suggest you give these bands a chance and listen:

 Explosions In The Sky

Explosions in the Sky in Concert

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Explosions in the Sky are the most notable post-rock band today, if not ever.  In crazy random happenstance that I meet someone who does not know about post-rock and does not know about EITS, this is the first band I send them to.  They were most recognized for their music in Friday Night Lights (the movie, and possibly the show).  To me, EITS are the future of music: very talented; every single album is a therapeutic opus that tells a story musically.  Each band member knowingly playing their part, the songs virtually jump out at the listener, making the listener feel as though the song itself is trying to tell them something.  All one has to do is pay attention. 

 Mogwai

Mogwai in Concert

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Mogwai are a Scottish rock band who has become one of the most influential and best known bands in post-rock.  Much like EITS, they focus less on vocals and lyrics and focus a lot more on an instrumental sound.  Mogwai, however, focuses their sound on lengthy guitar pieces and elaboration of a single theme.  When listening to a Mogwai album you may think you’ve been listening to the same song for the past half hour when in fact you have been listening to the past three tracks.  Mogwai is also known for their dynamic contrast, ranging volumes from a whisper to that of a shriek (in musical terms pianissimo to fortissimo), Mogwai likes to play around with the dynamics of sound to give you a surreal experience with the music you are listening to.

 Sigur Rós

Sigur Ros in Concert

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Sigur Rós are an Icelandic 3-piece who gained some of their notoriety as a post-rock band.  Having gained some limited radio play and appearances on TV commercials, this can at least be somewhat attributed to a move towards simpler song structures and a utilization of pop hooks.  What is interesting about Sigur Rós is that they do use “lyrics”, in a sense, in their music.  These lyrics, known as Vonlenska, roughly translated to “Hoplandic”, are unintelligible babble.  It consists of the rhythmic and emotive syllables of singing without the conceptual content of language. 

Other Great Bands that Deserve Mention:

Battles

Battles are a band that cross that Experimental/post-rock line, their catchy singles reveal a great post-rock background, while the rest of the album reveals a solid background in experimental music.  Either way, Battles comes highly recommended.

Isis 

Genre purists might say that Isis is more post-metal than anything else; their sound is much heavier than the bands that I mentioned above and have a much more similar sound to the likes of Pelican and Kayo dot. 

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

GY!BE are a Canadian post-rock band that can be most recognized by their work in the soundtrack for 28 Days Later.  The second movement for “East Hastings”, otherwise known as The Sad Mafioso, from their album, F♯A♯∞, was used in the movie but isn’t accredited in the movie’s soundtrack.  The band is currently in an indefinite hiatus but it doesn’t mean that their music is any less moving.