Time to Travel Down the Avenue of Post-Rock

Urgent directional advice to follow: When I refer to post-rock, I am including post-metal in the mix. So, take that! Don't file a complaint.

Post-Rock ... yes, including Post-Metal

Def. (multi-sourced combo deal):  It's a delicious recipe containing music (usually instrumental) concentrated on overall textures, tones and ambiance, largely differing from more conventional songwriting arrangements. Other than that wide and still challenging narrative, the best one-word description would be "soundscapes"

I really don't care how it's broken down in words, I LOVE IT... in all forms. It's been a significant part of my life. If you're a searcher, you should venture into this musical territory, if you haven't before. It's undeniably a genre for searchers. People who want to challenge their musical focus, aptitude, emotions or basic expanding interests. I believe post-rock, in its most exquisite state, can expressively re-arrange your guts out more than anything else in your brain's music listening archive. I first became categorically aware of the POST... ROCK ... genre in 1997 (during my booking agent days) through the mentions of a band client, Karma to Burn. Technically, you could throw the title of post-metal on their KTB descriptive mantle, since you could essentially lay them out as a version of Corrosion of Conformity without the vocals. As the kids and adults would mutually say, they utterly rocked. Getting back to the subject at hand, I remember the bassist Richie telling me all the music they were digging on, and one from the large batch was Mogwai. I had vaguely heard of them. They had a brand-new debut album out called Young Team, but I initially brushed them off as another of countless random indie bands untiLLLL 1999 and their record "Come on Die Young". Somehow and for some reason, I encountered and this time actually engaged the record and that elegant beast of a band. Since then, I've had a lifetime ticket on the Mogwai train and an entrance into the world of post-rock.

You asked what? Which of the fine lot of artists received warm embraces from me over the years? Oh well, there would once again be Mogwai (the emperors), Hammock, God is an Astronaut, Sigur Ros, Talk Talk, Maserati, The Album Leaf, Maybeshewill, Explosions in the Sky, The Six Parts Seven, Friends of Dean Martinez, This Will Destroy You, If These Trees Could Talk, Caspian, Isis, Russian Circles, Pelican, Alcest, Tides From Nebula and I'll appropriately stop right there. You would file these groups in the public library or label them in any shopping aisle under the title "excellent" or even "tremendous".

Disclaimers- I have determined that both Oceansize and Twilight Sad material harnesses too many vocals to be fully "post-rock" in my book, and my book is the big boy bible up in these parts. But they have the style, fire and attitude to be here in spirit. In the disclaimer category that is. Still kicking arse.

Now that you have taken the time breaking down all of those artists, much appreciated, you obviously understand that post-rock (and yes, metal!) styles could contain small to large doses of minimalism, ambience, sweeping melodies, and dynamic song structures. The music ranges from very empty and quiet to instrumentally powerful and grand. The best post-rock artists have the ability to utilize all styles on a consistent basis and keep you emotionally absorbed. You need to become immersed in the songs and performances similar to experiencing jazz or a jam band. You must possess the patience and discipline to stay on the ride to arrive at the payoff. In my usual transparency, I admit that post-rock opened my ears to complete jazz appreciation in a vast sense, and helped me acknowledge further value within the jam band experience, which did not exist in me before. My listening toolbelt was becoming far more expansive.

Avid fans or self-titled experts (such as myself) have slipped and slid all over the the Twister mat barking about "where post-rock started". Some of us do have girlfriends or wives, so back off. Some sort of skeleton for post-rock began with The Velvet Underground in the 60s? There was also the sensibility of Public Image Limited's "Metal Box" album? Swans began that droney post-rock-ish-like vibe in the early to mid 80s with some of their recordings? Sure, they all had particular contributions, but I will forever support the notion that the most substantial and recognizable contribution comes from The Cure, starting all the way back to their first full length, "Three Imaginary Boys", and traveling alongside their escalation in musical depth to the present day. Within every album from The Cure, you will find an inordinate number of extended intros, outros and general song structures that SCREAM post-rock. Some are quite minimalistic, but the majority involve different forms of melodically beautiful landscapes, even for only 45-60 seconds. So much of their detail and dynamic builds in those arrangements are pervasive within several of the first and second generation of post-rock performers, regardless of their final sonic delivery. MY FAVORITE EXAMPLE: Track down The Cure song, "Breathe". Warning, it's a single release from the 80s, not on an official album. Jesus, I love that song. Anyway, take it in from start to finish. Then throw on Mogwai's "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong". Tell me that is not the same damn melody sped up with additional instrumentation. I recognized it the first time I heard it. My immediate reaction... "where have I kinda heard this before?" I'm not accusing a rip-off scenario in the least, but guess what group of guys were admittedly influenced by The Cure. That would be Mogwai. There were a handful of other hands in the mix of this genre's development. Still, I truly believe The Cure really showed off the entire potential of that future path.

From the influencers to the full-on commitments. It's difficult to argue that the first committed post-rock record came from the initial new wave band gone rogue, Talk Talk, with the album, Spirit of Eden in 1988. The record physically breathes from your speakers. After that, there was "Laughing Stock" in 1991. These releases were 100% pledges to a new and commercially unexposed area of music. What then follows were artists such as Slint, Cul De Sac and Stereolab, who were nudging up against this new universe. However, as much as I like those artists and records, they were equally straddling other scenes and genres just enough to not allow a pure post-rock claim in my book... and remember, my book is surely ok in my book. It wasn't until Bark Psychosis came around in 1994 that it seemed like there was an entirely devoted peer that arrived. Behind the scenes at the same time in the early-mid 90s, building up as supreme youngsters, we had Mogwai. After those boys... BOOM!!!

Now that I have hyper-boosted the egos of this masterpiece theater we refer to as POHHHST RRROCK ... I will also deliver its fair criticism. This will involve the musicians, judgers, labelers and licensed critics. Firstly, it is somewhat of a stretch to place a band in this genre that consistently embraces vocals in their songs. Smooth harmonizing vocals on a minimal basis- OK. More than that- Not so OK. The music and band may be phenomenal, but I only consider it post-rock influenced. With too many vocals, the music starts to surf into multiple distractive worlds like math rock, prog rock, post-hardcore, slo-core, blah blah blah. Secondly, just because your recordings are psychotically minimalistic does not not allow you to be primarily cushioned in this category we speak of, in this column. It's all cool, but if your music consists of empty space + banging a bow on a cello + clanging pots and pans + the occasional E-Flat pluck, it equals the interpretation of "experimental". Thirdly, the main battle with a majority of post-rock is creative repetition. As a unit, they have to sincerely comprehend what it is to have no vocalist, and how to replace that space while complementing the musical compositions. Many bands in the post-rock domain exhaust their songwriting originality within 3-4 full length releases.... 1) They repeat their patterns, with either melodies or sonic plans of attack (reference: speed/alternate picking w/32nd notes, creating those intense panoramic crescendo/diminuendo bedrocks for song sections, a staple in the post-rock gun holster that can be an overused crutch ... 2) They don't bring in new instrumentation to help replace sounds, techniques or phrases used multiple times in the past... 3) They play it a little too safe from album to album. You have to whip out a split fingered fastball now and then, expand your musical minds and challenge the fanbase, because that is where this genre resides. ... To follow up that assumed tirade, understand that there is a mountain of greatness inhabiting the planet of post-rock.

For you folks who are not as familiar with this music I've been pontificating about for the last 5 minutes, remember that it keeps creeping up on you, while you are frequently unaware. Explosions in the Sky's music was placed all over the TV show, "Friday Night Lights". The track "The Mighty Rio Grande" from This Will Destroy You is the most prominently displayed backdrop in the film, "Moneyball". Critically acclaimed indie movie "Columbus" was scored by Hammock. Jonsi from Sigur Ros, well he scored the film, "We Bought a Zoo". The documentary "Zidane", featuring legendary French soccer player Zinedine Zidane, was scored by Mogwai. I am only mildly scratching the surface. The best from these artists have the ability to emotionally move you. They absolutely do.