Post-Rock: A Look Into the Avant-Garde Sound

Have you ever found yourself bored with the world of pop music today? Have you ever longed for a genre of music with a deeper, more sophisticated sound, with musical techniques dating back to the years of the world’s greatest composers? Are you tired of how the term “radio friendly” refers to a specific list of musical attributes that you don’t find appealing? When pop music has let us down, there is a solution however. This solution is referred to as post-rock.
Post-rock is a relatively unknown genre of music coined by music critic Simon Reynolds. A genre in which musicians use “rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes, using guitars as facilitators of timbres and textures rather than riffs and power-chords.” While sharing simalarites to the genres of shoegaze and neo-classical, post-rock provides the listener with an extremely unique sound, combining influences of classical, jazz, metal, and folk origins. But there is no real way to describe the genre as a whole, for each performing act within the genre have created their own definition to the genre by constructing their own unclassifiable sound. Well known post-rock bands, such as Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai, use the guitar as a limitless tool, taking advantage of layers upon layers of effects pedals. Post-rock guitarists aren’t don’t play solos, and they don’t thrash or shred. Rather, post-rock guitarists become the conductors composers of their own symphonies. The emphasis of layered guitars is not always the key ingredient to the post-rock sound, however. Bands such as A Silver Mt. Zion and Sparrows Swarm and Sing often resort to a more literal symphonic arrangement, including the sounds of the cello, violin, vibes, and other classical instruments.
Whether using technology to the advantage of the string player, or using traditional string instruments in order to achieve a full sound, the result is always the same. The post-rock sound creates an ambient environment for the listener, consisting of a full orchestral sound and a lot of energy. Although considered very melacholic to many, this distinctive sound is just what the music world needs right now. A style of music that brings back the days of classical dominance. A style in which the players are not viewed as rock stars, but creators of brilliance. To all who feel frustrated with the world of popular music today, give post-rock a shot, you might end up discovering something you really like.

Resources:
BANDS: Mogwai, Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, Mono, Godspeed You! Black Emporer, Caspian, Do Make Say Think, Pelican.
SITES: www.thesilentballet.com, www.afterthepostrock.com, Last.fm