Obsession Part I

I apologize, guys. College is busy and I haven’t had much time to write anything. For those of you who still read this blog, Jon and I would like to thank you in helping us make this thing what we’d like it to be. You guys rule.

On to today’s music-related subject. I have a new musical obsession and that would be the amazing genre that is post-rock. Some of you may be asking, “Hm, I’ve never heard of that. Please explain this to us, Ryan!” Okay, okay. Since you asked politely, here goes. Post-rock is a genre of music that incorporates instruments used in all facets of rock (guitars, bass, drums, vocals, etc.,) but in unique ways. Instead of the guitars being heavy-hitting like they are in most rock, post-rock guitars can be described as “shimmering” and “ambient.” The guitars are usually heavily modulated with delay, chorus, tremolo, etc. These effects give the guitars a feeling of texture instead of something that stands out. In short, post-rock is kind of the ambient part of rock music. I’ve known about this genre for a while, but never got as in to it as I am now. Post-rock music makes me feel emotions that I’ve never felt through music. Some bands can take you on a journey through soundscapes, or through an introspective journey through emotional, well thought-out lyrics. While most post-rock is instrumental, there are some bands that add lyrics to the ambient instrumentals.

Example time. Through my adventures in post-rock, I became addicted to a band called Moving Mountains. Their EP “Foreword”  exemplifies post-rock. Each song is a different journey than the one before it. So many countless emotions are felt through their music. If I had to pick one track off of that EP to recommend, I’d recommend “Lights and Shapes.” The epic instrumentals paired with lyrics like “Slide to me/Your flesh against my own/Your skin against my bones” makes for an extremely unique and emotional music experience.

Some other amazing post-rock bands to check out would be Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions in the Sky, The Evpatoria Report, pg.lost, and Russian Circles. There are so many other INSANELY good post-rock bands, but I don’t have enough time to list them off. If you like what you hear, let us know through comments or email and I’ll give you some more recommendations.

Thanks for reading, have fun with your ventures into post-rock!