I just wanted to create a specific topic for post-rock music, not because I proclame that it's the best rock style ever, just because we never talk enough of it. We can talk about the bands and the influence/popularity of this particular music style.

The autumn project is certainly the most underrated post rock band. Just download (I really like the song titles) : "the buffalo vs the bottomless pit" and "the history of easterly migration westward".

Is it just me or post-rock is generally considered to be "branché", kind of: you HAVE to like Sigur Ros?...

Lately I've discovered a few obscure post-rock bands that I really enjoy. One of them is the Wind-Up Bird, which is some music professor that also makes crazy electronic/post-rock music. Another is Season, a band out of Australia that releasesd an amazing album called Avatar earlier this year. And the last one is Detwiije, who also released a very good album this year.

I'll have to look into the Autumn Project.

Yeah, it does seem like everybody is supposed to like Sigur Ros, but I really don't get them. Neither do I understand the popularity of Godspeed You Black Emperor. I think Mogwai is all right, but not anything special. Explosions in the Sky, on the other hand, rule.

quote:

Originally posted by eggTweedyegg:

The autumn project is certainly the most underrated post rock band. Just download (I really like the song titles) : "the buffalo vs the bottomless pit" and "the history of easterly migration westward".

Just got around to listening to the Autumn Project, and I'm glad you mentioned them, Tweedy. "Buffalo vs..." is a great song, and so are that last three from that album.

I'm relistening to Fable by the Autumn Project today, and it's even better than I gave it credit for earlier. This is a top-notch post-rock album. I'm surprised it hasn't gotten much attention. It's not "difficult" or anything like that, just great, epic music. Anyone that likes any post-rock (I don't like much of it--I find Godspeed incredibly boring) should definitely check these guys out. On their website it says they've got a new record coming out this spring. I'm excited about it.

Papa M does post rock, doesn't he? That guy is cool...

I've been listening to Sonna's new one recently. Liek it a lot. I saw Wind Up Bird live and i'm suprised I didn't go deaf. It was literally the loudest sound I have ever been subjected to.

I can see there is no love for Godspeed You! Black Emperor here in the "post-rock" forum of all places oddly enough. At least they do something besides rip-off Mogwai like Explosions in the Sky who are quite possibly the most boring and overrated post-rock band I have ever heard. I have both of the better Explosions records ( that rerelease of the first record is just downright generic and amateur), and I like both of the ones I have. I just don't understand why anyone wants to fawn over a band that basically plays Mogwai's Come On Die Young over and over again with a few extra delay pedals. I'll put money on MONO over Explosions any day, and yes they do sound like Mogwai too, but albeit a louder and more orchestral Mogwai.

The Wind-Up bird is pretty cool. I'm not sure about that comment about one of them being a professor although it may be true. Jeff used to be in the chaotic hardcore band Jerome's Dream (a fucking great band if you like stuff like Reversal of Man, The Locust, Orchid, etc.) and Jospeh Grimm was in 33.3.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jonathanbrisby,

I'm pretty much feel like I'm a new convert to post rock, even though I've been listening to previously named bands like GYBE! and Explosions In The Sky for at least three years. I think it's funny that fans of this music seem to have an attitude of "this band is my personal favorite, so everyone else can go and fuck off." Personally I don't care much for Sigur Ros or Mogwai, although now I'm tempted to give the latter's discography another spin.
My question to you guys is where does "post rock" end and "math rock" begin. Like would you consider a band like Rumah Sakit "post rock" or "math rock" or "whatever"? What makes a good post rock record besides being (mostly; most cases) instrumental?

I'd say a post-rock records is defined as (usually) long, instrumental songs that are very serious sounding and devoid of hooks. I'm no expert, but I think math-rock involves a lot more rythmic elements that post-rock.

You all may disagree, but I kind of think that definitely is quite a bit of post-rock music that isn't instrumental. although many of the above bands are all instrumental, and a lot of other post-rock stuff (like tortoise--one of my favorites...i think TNT is one of the best albums of the 90's) is all instrumental, it is my opinion that vocals/lyrics definitely don't make something something non-post rock.

a few of my favorites that i think can be classified as post-rock are as follows:

liars - drums not dead....i really don't know how the hell to classify a band like this.

animal collective...these guys are the best new thing (although i know they've been around for awhile), IMO. even though i think they've become a little bit more of a rock group (with their album feels, their earlier stuff, particularly spirit they've gone/dance manatee and here comes the indian), they definitely have a sound that is post-rock.

the books.....amazing musicians that, like animal collective, are often grouped into that electronic folk club, but i think that's pretty weak. i think they are way beyond just electronic folk....in fact, i don't think i've really ever heard anything like it.

I agree that Post Rock doesn't have to be lackinf vocals/lyrics/spoken words, but when people talk about it like a genre of music, they usually site bands sans vox.
Anyway, I think it's interesting that you'd label Animal Collective as post rock. I've heard them called everything from freak folk to noise pop. Whatever you want to call them, they are a good bunch of musicians.

i don't know if i would necessarily call animal collective post rock, but they've got a lot of material that is really, really hard to classify. for example, it think it's really hard to label their album here comes the indian and their other earlier material. as a result, i think post-rock, which is pretty hard to describe, as it covers such a broad spectrum of music and sounds, could be a way to classify some of animal collective's work.

regardless of what you call them, you're right failureninja, they are pretty amazing musicians/songwriters.

Animal Collective is not a post-rock band. Call them noise pop, call them indie rock, call them freak folk, call them a psychedelic group, but post-rock as the term is defined would be completely erroneous. Danse Manatee is an indie rock record, Here Comes the Indian is a borderline noise record, Sung Tongs is a folk record, Feels is definitely psychedelic, but I don't hear one thing in the Animal Collective cannon that likens them to post-rockers like Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Tortoise, etc. unless you count the fact that all of those groups have guitars as a central element to their sound.

Well, then I completely disagree with you jonathanbrigsby. All those other classifications you called them wouldn't describe them as a whole either. Yes, they do have some noise pop, they do have some freak folk, etc, but they also have so much stuff that is beyond those kind of classifications. So, in the end, what do you have? I feel like post-rock can encompass so much music that is left over from other genres. Animal Collective has a lot of music that is hard to classify, so that's why I said that some of their stuff could be classified in that way. Also, this is just my opinion.

In addition, it is just my opinion that throwing Mogwai into the post-rock group is sometimes inaccurate. Sure, a lot of their stuff is similar to GYBE in that it's more like an orchestra....highs and lows, swells, etc. But if you listen to a lot of what Mogwai does, then I'd be suprised for people say that they often just sound like a rock group. Songs like "Like Herod" and "Mogwai Fears Satan" have rock guitar riffs and rock sounds. Just because they don't have vocals and they write long jams doesn't mean they aren't rock.

Now, I'll agree that Tortoise and GYBE are different than that, but those two groups don't classify the whole fricking genre. Hell, Don Cabellero has been classified as post-rock, and they're another group that writes a lot of rock songs. Granted Don Cab do a lot of experimentation, but so do a lot of bands. They still write rock riffs, etc.

Now, I'm not saying that Don Cab, Mogwai, and other bands like Explosions in the Sky aren't post-rock. I completely agree with that classification, but i think you limit the genre a hell of a lot only including bands that do long, drawn out jams. And i think there is a bunch of other music and bands that have certain sounds/songs that can be thrown into the post-rock genre.

Although Wikipedia is obviously not the source for everything, I think it's definition of post-rock lends some pretty good support to my opinion stated above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-rock

It's funny, they even mention Slint as a post-rock group.

Jesus, I'm with Jbrisby here. No way would I call Animal Collective post-rock. If they're post-rock then the genre has become so all-encompassing as to be meaningless. And how can you suggest Mogwai, maybe the quintissential post-rock band, might not belong in the genre?

RavingLunatic, I guess that you're making my point. All I'm saying is that post-rock is a really meaningless term now, because if bands like Don Caballero and Slint can be grouped in there as well, then that obviously changes the meaning of post-rock. Mogwai, as you said, is the quintissential post-rock band, but what does Mogwai do? They write a whole lot of guitar riffs that are rock guitar riffs. I just don't look at bands that base songs around rock riffs (Mogwai's song "Mogwai Fears Satan" is one rock guitar riff the entire song) as having a huge post-rock sound. I look at bands like Tortoise, GYBE, and US Maple as having more of that sound.

Now, I understand that Mogwai is post-rock, I really do....and I actually agree with that classification, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that the whole fricking term has lost a lot of meaning. Because there are all sorts of bands that are classified as post-rock that have so many elements outside of the post-rock genre (and yes, i think that Mogwai has a lot of elements outside the genre....also, if a band like Slint has been called post-rock, then that pushes the boundaries of the genre even further....they're a band that is completely guitar riff oriented and they use vocals too).

I guess that all I'm saying is that the boundaries/elements of this genre have gotten so extended that I think lots of different groups and music could now be considered post-rock. That's all I'm trying to say.

Yeah, I suppose. I don't know, though, when someone calls a band post-rock, I have a pretty good idea of what kind of sound I'm gonna get. I mean, maybe Mogwai uses rock riffs, but I don't have any problem distinguishing them from your typical rock band.

I have to agree with RL on this one. Post-rock isn't some all encompassing genre. It's a pretty specific sound, and it's kind of silly to lump bands like Animal Collective, The Liars, and Slint in there, that clearly aren't post-rock.

Seriously, I completely agree with you guys that Mogwai is easily distinguishable from many of the other rock bands, and that's why their in the whole post-rock group (and even pioneers of that genre).

But I don't think it's a specific sound, as you say ericg, because there are so many bands that have very different and unique sounds that are grouped in the post-rock genre (for example, Don Caballero has been called post-rock, and I don't think Don Caballero and Mogwai sound anything alike. I also don't think Tortoise and Mogwai sound alike either). And I actually never said Slint is post-rock. I've only read and heard that they are one of the pioneers of the genre.

So, my point is that if all these groups have been labeled as post-rock in some shape or form by some music critic, then where do we draw the line? I mean, would The Books then be considered post-rock? The Books write songs with no song structure and a lot of electronic stuff....they are clearly not a rock group, and they are clearly not a folk outfit, and they are clearly not noise, so where would you put them? Same goes for a band like US Maple, which is a band that I have no idea how to classify.

I think that a lot of people might throw bands into the post-rock genre when they don't know how to label them.