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Your Top Ten Favorite Post Rock Albums
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BrufordFreak View Drop Down
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    Posted: June 21 2019 at 16:42
I'm curious to hear your favorite Post Rock albums--especially since the music classified into this nefarious sub-genre is so oddly varied.

My Ten:

STEREOLAB Dots and Loops
LANDBERK Indian Summer
ULVER Shadows of the Sun
BARK PSYCHOSIS CodeName: DustSucker
CICADA Light Shining Through the Sea
BATTLESTATIONS Vixit
MAGYAR POSSE Random Avenger
OCEANSIZE Everyone Into Position
BATTLESTATIONS The Extent of Damage
JAKOB Sines
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Lewian View Drop Down
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Certainly this thread deserves a few responses!
What makes it difficult is the classification. Do I go by PA's post rock category? Then Talk Talk's last two albums do not qualify, some other post rock that I like is not listed (like Hood). On the other hand the recent Swans trilogy is amazing but doesn't really fit in the category in my opinion. If I include them all:

1 Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
2 .O.rang - Herd of Instinct
3 Swans - Seer
4 Tarentel - From Bone to Satellite
5 Swans - To Be Kind
6 Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
7 The Berg Sans Nipple - Form of...
8 Mice Parade - Obrigade Saudade
9 Hood - The Cycle of Days and Seasons
10 Slint - Spiderland

If I exclude Swans and all that are not listed as post rock on PA, only two of these remain, and they head the top 10 of PA post rock listed non-Swans bands:
1 .O.rang - Herd of Instinct
2 Tarentel - From Bone to Satellite
3 From Monument to Masses - The Impossible Leap in 100 Simple Steps
4 Bark Psychosis - Hex
5 From Monument to Masses - On Little Known Frequencies
6 Godspeed You Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven
7 Tortoise - It's All Around You
8 Sigur Ros - ()
9 Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will
10 Salaryman - Karoshi



Edited by Lewian - June 22 2019 at 15:45
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BrufordFreak View Drop Down
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Points: 8474 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BrufordFreak Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2019 at 09:28
Nice lists and point well made! I agree, the definition here is sometimes confusing and inconsistent, but, then, that's the case with all things derived from human collaborations and interactions. 

Swans, Tortoise, GY!BE, and Sigur Rós all have my utmost respect--I own multiple albums by each--but my list reflects, I believe, my need for engaging melodies. Also, that there are PostRock sounding albums that are not categorized as such in PA. (Cite: King Crimson and David Sylvian!)

Thanks for posting, Lewian!
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Interesting topic, because this week I stumbled upon this term, reading the biography information that I got from new Italian band Giant The Vine, they named Mogwai as a huge inspiration. So I searched on the Internet, read that Mogwai, Sigur Ros and Talk Talk are very popular and pivotal Post Rock bands, that is not my taste. But I also read that " Post Rock can be characterized as an escape from typical structures of Rock music" ..

To me that sounds as a very broad territory, perhaps also including Radiohead and Coldplay (bands that I like)?


Edited by TenYearsAfter - June 23 2019 at 10:40
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I would still qualify Glenn Branca as post-rock by the genre's very definition. It should at least be consdiered proto-post Ermm

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Originally posted by TenYearsAfter TenYearsAfter wrote:

 But I also read that " Post Rock can be characterized as an escape from typical structures of Rock music" ..

To me that sounds as a very broad territory, perhaps also including Radiohead and Coldplay (bands that I like)?

The quote applies to post rock but doesn't define it. You're right, it is in fact too broad to serve as a precise gerne definition. Some other things have to be said to delimit post rock in a meaningful way.

One thing that in my view is characteristic for post rock is the absence of a lead instrument or lead singer in the conventional way. There are occasional vocals in post rock (although much of it is instrumental), but they are normally done so that they stream with the music rather than leading it. It is very fascinating and in fact one could say genre defining how Mark Hollis, himself a charismatic lead vocalist, did that in Talk Talk. This as a criterion excludes both Coldplay and Radiohead, although at least in Radiohead certainly some post rock esthetic and attitude can be found, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least to find out that Thom Yorke is a big Talk Talk fan.
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Originally posted by Lewian Lewian wrote:

Originally posted by TenYearsAfter TenYearsAfter wrote:

 But I also read that " Post Rock can be characterized as an escape from typical structures of Rock music" ..

To me that sounds as a very broad territory, perhaps also including Radiohead and Coldplay (bands that I like)?

The quote applies to post rock but doesn't define it. You're right, it is in fact too broad to serve as a precise gerne definition. Some other things have to be said to delimit post rock in a meaningful way.

One thing that in my view is characteristic for post rock is the absence of a lead instrument or lead singer in the conventional way. There are occasional vocals in post rock (although much of it is instrumental), but they are normally done so that they stream with the music rather than leading it. It is very fascinating and in fact one could say genre defining how Mark Hollis, himself a charismatic lead vocalist, did that in Talk Talk. This as a criterion excludes both Coldplay and Radiohead, although at least in Radiohead certainly some post rock esthetic and attitude can be found, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least to find out that Thom Yorke is a big Talk Talk fan.
 

Very interesting, especially that you named Mark Hollis, he is honoured on the Giant The Vine (new Italian prog band) album Music For Empty Places, they told me that post rock is a huge inspiration, along with Classic Prog bands Genesis and King Crimson. At this moment I am listening to Mogwai, the album Hardrock Will Never Die, But You Will. My impression from this kind of music is that it contains lots of emotion with all those hypnotizing and compelling climates, you can easily identify with the music when feeling sad, euphoric or angry. I think that explains the popularity, like U2 and The Simple Minds in the Eighties?


Edited by TenYearsAfter - June 23 2019 at 12:51
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Lewian View Drop Down
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Points: 15216 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2019 at 17:45
Just saw your review of it, nice! Yes, I think there are some moods that are perfectly fit by this music. Also I like the relaxed pacing of most post rock and the original denial of every formula that spells commercial success in the music world (Talk Talk, in their earlier life commercially very successful, were sued by their record company for their genius Spirit of Eden, because EMI thought it was unsellable), a very welcome contrast to our ever accelerating lives. (Although some post rock following the pioneers has become a bit formulaic; it's no accident that I mainly listed earlier generation post rock)
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Points: 345 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TenYearsAfter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2019 at 18:19
Originally posted by Lewian Lewian wrote:

Just saw your review of it, nice! Yes, I think there are some moods that are perfectly fit by this music. Also I like the relaxed pacing of most post rock and the original denial of every formula that spells commercial success in the music world (Talk Talk, in their earlier life commercially very successful, were sued by their record company for their genius Spirit of Eden, because EMI thought it was unsellable), a very welcome contrast to our ever accelerating lives. (Although some post rock following the pioneers has become a bit formulaic; it's no accident that I mainly listed earlier generation post rock)
 

Thanks, and wonderfully described!
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I always have a hard time putting together a best of list since my tastes change with the mood I'm in, so one day I could say "blah blah blah is my favorite album" only to change it the next day.  However, with Post Rock, I could name my ten favorite Post Rock bands (in no particular order):
 
1) Godspeed You! Black Emperor
2) A Silver Mt. Zion
3) Sigur Ros
4) Mono
5) Mogwai
6) This Will Destroy You
7) The Swans
8) Tortoise
9) Russian Circles
10) Gregor Samsa
11) Isis
12) Yndi Halda
13) Valley of the Giants
14) Ulver
15) Oceansize
 
Okay I cheated a bit, but it's hard to keep it down to just 10.  These are band that I listen to quite regularly and enjoy.
 
 


Edited by TCat - June 23 2019 at 19:03

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I don't really listen to enough Post-Rock to even have a top 5, but I love Spirit of Eden by Talk Talk, as well as the very under-appreciated band Physics House Band
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