Essential Post-Rock
Submitted by lukeprog on Wed, 03/23/2005 - 12:38
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- Post-rock arose in the mid 90s as an instrumental type of droning (guitars) or shimmering (electronics), nearly ambient music influenced heavily by jazz and Krautrock. Its origins can be found in the careful mix of ambient and jazz in Talk Talk's Laughing Stock (1991). The term was later applied to anything from the odd experiments of Gastr del Sol to the atmospheric pop of Laika, but today's notion of what 'post-rock' sounds like finds its genesis in Tortoise's Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996). The album was a sprawling fusion of minimalistic jazz, electronica, dub, and subtle guitar work. It sparked a wave of imitators (most notably, Mogwai). Later acts like Sigur Rós breathed new life into the genre with new sounds and styles.
- Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996) - the masterful experiment that birthed a genre.
- Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun (2000) - perhaps the 'rebith' of the genre, Sigur Ros' masterpiece was a revelation, an entirely new ambient rock sound.
- Mogwai - Young Team (1997) - Mogwai's trademark guitar textures, deliberate rises and falls, shifts and details are what many first associate with 'post-rock', just as people associate 80s Metallica with 'heavy metal.'
- Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000) - takes a page from Mogwai's book and does it even better and more epic.
- Labradford - Mi Media Naranja (1997) - A shimmering ambient masterpiece covered in gentle guitar plucking. Flawless.
- Sigur Rós - () (2002).
- Dirty Three - Horse Stories (1996).
- Rachel's - Selenography (1999).
- Jim O'Rourke - Eureka (1999).
- Tortoise - TNT (1998).
- Dirty Three - Ocean Songs (1998).
- Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Yanqui U.X.O. (2002).
Author Comments:
I'll add more as I hear it.
Cloned From:
Great idea for a list! I've listened to (and really enjoyed) Millions Now Living, and have heard a little Mogwai, which I also liked. Most of these bands I've heard of, but never heard. What about Slint's Spiderland (1991?)? I like it as well, and I believe it is considered a big influence on the post-rock bands, if not considered by some to be the first post-rock album.
Johnny Waco
Yes, I've read about Spiderland. While I've heard some Laughing Stock, I've heard nothing from Spiderland, so I'd like to hear it a little before I talk about it. This list will grow and become more accurate as I hear more of the albums I've been wanting to hear, but that may take some time.
Definitely check out some Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Sigur Ros.