Post-rock is a departure from tradition?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

What is post-rock? First of all, it is a genre of experimental music. This direction is characterized by the use of musical instruments that are familiar to rock, but at the same time, rhythm, melody and timbre are absolutely atypical for traditional rock music. Musicians who attribute their work to this direction mainly play instrumental music. It combines jazz, electronic music, ambient, and traditional rock. It is difficult to determine the exact principles of this direction, because post-rock is a combination and description of a variety of sound styles.

Where did post-rock come from?

The emergence of this genre in music dates back to 1994. It was first used by British music critic Simon Reynolds. In the March issue of Mojo Magazine, the author reviewed the band's new album, Bark Psychosis. Simon used the term "post-rock", defining a musical direction where the instruments familiar to traditional rock are used for other purposes. What does it mean? For example, guitars are designed tocreate timbres and textures, not for riffs and chords.

Another reference to post-rock dates back to the late 1980s, and the term was used by Russian jazz saxophonist Alexei Kozlov. In 1989, he founded the Post-Rock Association, which included many groups, such as Arsenal, Polite Refusal, Nuance, C Major, and many others. At that time, it was believed that post-rock was a new sound and a rejection of familiar melodies.

History of post-rock

The genre originates from the late 1960s. The Velvet Underground had a great influence on the development of post-rock. However, the first officially recognized group playing in the post-rock genre is Public Image Ltd. Many publications in their materials called the musicians the first full-fledged post-rock group. In 1979, the group's second album was released, where the members had already completely abandoned the elements of traditional rock. In 1981, the third album was released, which was even more radical, emphasizing the use of not only percussion, but also the multi-channel music.

The development of post-rock in the nineties

Groups such as Slint, Talk Talk had a special influence on the development of the direction in the 1990s. It is the albums of Spiderland and Laughing Stock that are considered to be almost the base of post-rock, from which the heyday of the genre began. Over time, this direction in music has grown to an original mixture of jazz and kraut-rock. Until 1994, this direction was exclusivelyinstrumental music, and only by the end of the nineties did electronics leave their mark. A true post-rock icon, this is the second album from Tortoise.

Many followers in their work relied on the activities of this group. Also at that time, the following groups were considered the founders of the movement: Cul de Sac, Tortoise, Labradfold, Stars of the Lid. The giants of post-rock are Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mogwai, who continued their creative activity into the 21st century.

What did the 2000s bring?

Icelandic band Sigur Rós made a splash in 1999 with their Ágætis Byrjun album and has maintained its leadership position to this day. Also, the group's compositions can be heard on radio and television, which is absolutely atypical for such a genre as post-rock. According to experts, this is all due to the fact that the length of the songs has decreased and their structure has been simplified. Also popular bands of the 2000s include Maybeshewill, This Will Destroy You, Caspian. The list of the best in post-rock is endless.

Characteristics of the genre

The 21st century was marked by the fact that post-rock music acquired certain features:

• There are almost no vocals in the tracks.
• Digital effects, sampled rhythm sections are becoming more and more common.
• Post-rock is the active use of video sequences of a certain theme at concerts, which reflect the essence of the compositions. Thus emphasizeatmosphere and song ideas. Not only music, but also these unique videos fascinate and completely attract attention. Thus, a complete picture is created, and the compositions acquire the status of completed;
• The powerful influence of such trends in music as progressive metal and progressive rock. Today, this genre forms more and more new styles and sounds.

These characteristics are still preserved. And maybe the era of post-rock is slowly fading into the past, but there are still many admirers of this style around the world.

Features of post-rock

The post-rock genre appeared only thanks to the consonance of several musical genres. The greatest contribution to the emergence of the genre was made by such directions as jazz, electronica and ambient. Guitar parts play a special role in music. Vocals are usually an additional element and are not very common. Post-rock musicians are not inherently attached to a particular genre, their task is to express their ideas in any way.

As for the vocals, despite the fact that such elements are not typical for this genre, this does not mean at all that they are completely absent in the compositions. However, if the vocal parts are used, then not in the usual performance for us. Usually these are random sounds or computer effects. For example, Sigur Rós even has a special language for vocal parts, which critics call Hopelandic. The combination of post-rock with classical music is also popular. Their goal is minimalism.

Mergepost-rock with other directions also served as the emergence of new genres. For example, styles such as metal and post-rock gave us post-metal. From domestic popular musicians, one can name April Rain, So Far as I Know, Sleep Dealer, "Silence of the Sea" and so on. Russian post-rock is also rich in interesting sounds and talented musicians.