What is post-rock? This is primarily 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 use rhythm, melody and timbre, which are completely atypical for traditional rock music. Musicians who attribute their work to this direction mainly play instrumental music. It combines jazz and electronic music, and 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 appearance of such a genre in music is dated 1994. First used by his British music critic Simon Reynolds. In the March issue of Mojo Magazine, the author released a review on Bark Psychosis's new album. Simon used the term "post-rock", defining a musical direction where instruments traditional for traditional rock are used for other purposes. What does it mean? For example, guitars are designed to create tones and textures, and not for riffs and chords.
Another mention of 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.
Post-rock history
The genre has its origins since the late 1960s. The Velvet Underground group had a great influence on the development of post-rock. However, the first officially recognized group playing the post-rock genre is Public Image Ltd. Many publications in their materials called musicians the first full-fledged post-rock band. In 1979, the group released its second album, where members have completely abandoned 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 multi-channel music.
Post-rock development 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 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 the original mixture of jazz and kraut rock. Until 1994, this direction was exclusively instrumental music, and only by the end of the nineties electronics left their mark. The real post-rock icon is Tortoise's second album.
Many followers in their work relied precisely on the activities of this group. Also in those days, the following groups were considered the founders of the movement: Cul de Sac, Tortoise, Labradfold, Stars of the Lid. Giants of post-rock are Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mogwai, who continued their creative activities in the 21st century.
What did the two thousandths give?
Icelandic band Sigur Rós made a splash in 1999 after the album Ágætis Byrjun, and retains its leadership position to this day. Also, the group’s compositions can be heard on radio and television, which is absolutely untypical for a genre such 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 groups of the two thousandth include Maybeshewill, This Will Destroy You, Caspian. The list of the best in post-rock goes on and on.
Characteristics of the genre
The 21st century was marked by the fact that post-rock music acquired certain features:
- There is practically no vocals in the tracks.
- Digital effects, sample rhythm sections are more and more common.
- Post-rock is the active use of certain video sequences at concerts that reflect the essence of the compositions. In this way, the atmosphere and idea of the songs are emphasized. Not only music, but also these unique videos fascinate and completely attract attention. Thus, a holistic 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 becoming a thing of the past, but so far there are many admirers of this style all over the world.
Post Rock Features
The post-rock genre appeared only due to the harmony of several musical genres. The greatest contribution to the emergence of the genre was made by such directions as jazz, electronics and ambient. It is the guitar parts that play a special role in music. Vocals are usually an additional element and are not particularly common. Musicians who create in the post-rock genre have no attachment to a particular genre; their task is to express their ideas in any way.
As for 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 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. A combination of post-rock and classical music is also popular. Their goal is minimalism.
The merger of post-rock with other areas also served as the emergence of new genres. For example, styles such as metal and post-rock gave us postmetal. Among the popular Russian musicians include 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.