For the last couple of years Monday has been a locked-in work from home day for me. Aside from resolving a child care issue it also helps the start of the working week feel a little less of a kick in the nads.
It also means that along with access to good coffee, I have the opportunity to indulge in a post-rock soundtrack for my working day without the usual (‘it’s been ten minutes, how is this the same song?’ or ‘has it even started yet?’) commentary or need to stick headphones on.
For the uninitiated, the term itself came from a discussion of Talk Talk and Bark Psychosis – both bands that helped shape the genre from an early point. I’ll borrow from a couple of definitions here to explain it (dancing about architecture springs to mind at this point) as a “form of experimental rock characterised by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs” performed by a group of musicians leaning on the traditional ‘rock’ instruments / lineup: two guitars, a bass, drums, keys etc and, occasionally, vocals but applied to “nontraditional rhythms, melodies, and chord progressions.”
There’s a lot of beard-stroking.
Of the many things I love about it is the sheer scope and variety found within what can so easily be perceived as a narrow genre (with offshoots into math-rock, post-metal) and the universality of it – as occasionally pointed at in my Out of Europe series.
Anyway, without going too deep into a history or explanation of, I thought this a good moment to drop some of what I’ve been enjoying today:
Mogwai – The Sun Smells Too Loud
Mogwai, from Glasgow Scotland, are one of the titans of the genre. They got in early in ’97 and have been consistently belting out great albums (and soundtracks) since. The Hawk Is Howling is one of my favourite Mogwai albums – it’s their sixth – and recently added to my record shelves completing their discography on wax.
Explosions In The Sky – Logic of a Dream
Texans EITS are another pillar of the genre who have currently got their fans in a bit of worry: having ditched all other content on their social channels and announcing ‘The End’ Tour without any explanation as to what ‘The End’ is – curtains for the band or new album? We all hope for the latter – it’s been some time since The Wilderness – but touring and making money from music is becoming increasingly hard if your name isn’t Taylor Swift these days.
Pray for Sound – Julia
A band familiar to at least one reader – ‘Julia’ and Waves hits all the right spots.
Astodan – Sagdid
Astodan hail from Belgium. They’ve added a vocalist to their lineup recently but I’ve yet to check that out as I’m still stuck spinning their 2018 album Ameretat – few bands manage that dynamic of melodic, piano-driven calm to pulverising FUCK YES and back as brilliantly as they do across the album (or even one five minute song).
Mumbling About... 
Thanks for this intro to post rock. Other than the name, I’m completely new to the genre. While I can’t say it’s immediate love, I could see it become an acquired taste.
Thanks Christian – it took me a little while of toe-dipping before I got hooked in to the genre. Like all things music obsession wise, though, there are times when I won’t fancy it and then there are those when I lean in so hard I forget what vocals are
Pray for Sound is my son’s band and I’ve done a couple posts on them. I am that reader Tony is referring to.
What no Godspeed! You Black Emporer?! I demand my money back.
I do love a bit of God’s Pee, they will undoubtedly appear at some point so I can only really offer you a partial refund
You are much more of a post rock fan than I am. I don’t even know the PFS song! Sad, as the Orange Pustule would say.
I thoroughly enjoyed their most recent album, all the right buttons pushed.
Surely the end is nigh for the Orange Pustule?
37 criminal charges?! Surely he can’t keep claiming witch hunt when there are photos of secret documents being kept in his bath?
Not to mention audio recordings of him admitting he hadn’t declassified some paper he was waving around. However, this trial won’t happen for over a year, right in the middle of election season. So then he will win the presidency, pardon himself, and then send his enemies to the gulag.
Now, about Boris Johnson…
It’s a hell of a news day isn’t it?
Both of them claiming witch-hunt when the truth of their actions are uncovered…
I read that Smith is after a speedy trial. Then there’s the other existing indictment and the pending indictments for election interference. Surely he can’t win an election with all that over him?
Actual criminal indictments have to be more damaging than ‘grab ‘em by the pussy’ don’t they? Or am I giving the voting Americans too much credit?
Smith may be after a speedy trial, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll get one. Orange Mussolini was charged a month or so ago in NYC on the hush money case, and THAT trial isn’t scheduled till March 2024.
As to the American public, sadly the average American is a fucking idiot with less than a fifth grader’s knowledge of civics or history. For whatever reason, a person here can run for office while in prison. Do I think Trump will win? Miniscule chance. Do I believe that most of the 74 million people who voted for him last time will vote for him again? Not all, but many millions. They see him as their own personal Jesus who is being martyred. He is already raising money off of this. Which means that the televangelists they usually send it to will be a little light in the pocket. Half this fucking country is white trailer trash, whether or not they live in a trailer. Add in 400 million guns in circulation and mass killings every day and I’m ready to get the fuck out of here.
400 million?!
As an outsider I know it’s impossible to always understand a country and its habits but the gun situation there is something that absolutely staggers me: how after mass killing after mass killing, school shooting after school shooting there is still such a number is as baffling to me as the logic that the way to stop such tragedies is to give more people guns ‘as defence’.
I often refer to the ‘Jim Jeffries on guns’ sketch – but if they were so serious about being for defence, why are they called assault weapons?
Always a welcome reception and a cold drink
for you here if you do get sick of it all sir
It can be explained easily in two words: Second Amendment. Gun ownership is embedded in our Constitution. We have a gun sickness, a gun lust in this country. And the Republicans are squarely in the pocket of the loathesome NRA. So while polls show rhat the great majority of us favor common-sense legislation, the GOP prevents it from ever coming to the floor. Money (and lobbyists) rule in the USA. We are a twisted, fucked-up, sick society. An experiment gone wrong.
A long time ago a now out-of-print music mag Q put a question I submitted to Lemmy. During his answer he related how he once called someone a dickhead for cutting him off in LA traffic only for said dickhead to ‘wave a fucking great shotgun’ at him. The second amendment has certainly been repurposed.
In addition to mass shootings, we now have people randomly shooting each other for minor, often accidental, trespassing. And of course, our police are trigger-happy and shoot Black men without much of a thought. BTW, much of what drags us down here is the South. That pack of White Christian zealots is free to secede any time they like. Call it Crexit, Christian exit.
As much as I hate Brexit, I do enjoy seeing that particular portmanteau adopted: I saw a few ‘Frexit’s daubed on various buildings last year and there was talk of a ‘Grexit’ not too long ago. At least here it seems that with that so abundantly failing some walking back of stupidity is quietly taking place
Starting with dumping Boris. I wish somebody would take Putin the fuck out.