10 Albums You Definitely Shouldn’t Play at a Party
The post 10 Albums You Definitely Shouldn’t Play at a Party appeared first on Consequence.
Genre classification is a dangerous game. Artists get pigeonholed, fans get gatekeepy, and critics seemingly hit up random word generators and slap “-core” on the end of whatever gets spat out. Yet, thanks to our unquenchable desire for organization and Spotify’s unending algorithmic playlists, oddly specific micro-genres are here to stay. Of the oldest, most debated culprits of such genre shenanigans is post-rock — a genre that has your Led Zeppelin-loving dad asking, “Post-rock? What’s wrong with regular rock? Why does something have to come after it?”
Loosely defined as an experimental off-shoot of rock music that focuses more on mood, complex sound textures, and unconventional structures than traditional rock signifiers, the title of post-rock gets applied to an extremely wide breadth of artists. Everything from the classically influenced art-rock of Dirty Three to the avant-pop of Stereolab to the deconstructed indie of Yo La Tengo have been tagged with the term. Hell, according to Wikipedia’s list, even Radiohead qualifies. And this is all without mentioning offshoots like post-metal or blackgaze, who share many of the same qualities as post-rock, further complicating this arbitrary Venn diagram.
And yet, despite imperfect definitions, post-rock persists. As recently as last year, new acts like Black Country, New Road and Caroline have begun to turn heads, and legends of the genre Mogwai even hit number one on the United Kingdom and Scotland charts in 2021 with As the Love Continues.
Such successes, while deserved, are as interesting as they are unlikely. With the absence of lyrics, wild dynamics, unconventional orchestration, and 10-20 minute long songs being staples of the genre, it’s not always an easy scene to get into. By design, post-rock is not exactly the most sociable music. It’s why you might hear Talk Talk’s new wave hit “It’s My Life” at your local bar, but never their nine-minute, slow-burning post-rock classic “The Rainbow.” Don’t let that stop you from requesting it, though.
So, in case you’re in the business of ruining parties, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best albums post-rock has to offer. Check out the full list below.
10. Envy, A Dead Sinking Story
The last track on influential Japanese screamo act Envy’s All the Footprints You’ve Ever Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead, “Your Shoes and the World to Come,” marks a shift. Already increasingly leaning into post-rock aesthetics with each release, the song took Envy’s post-hardcore blueprint and stretched it out to a beefy eight minutes. With their following LP, A Dead Sinking Story, the band’s post-rockisms became just as important as their emo origins, fully embracing huge guitar tones, sprawling compositions, and eerie crescendos.
Closer “A Will Remains In The Ashes” strikes a balance between the two genres so well it almost sounds as if Mogwai were obsessed with Orchid’s Chaos Is Me. It’s a stunning project from a band that’s essential to several genres and proves that emo and post-rock are always a winning combination (see: City of Caterpillar, The Appleseed Cast, Foxing’s Nearer My God). — Jonah Krueger
09. Rodan, Rusty
While perhaps not as mythologized as their fellow Louisvillians Slint, Rodan lies shockingly close to the center of the ‘90s underground rock scene. With connections to Shellac, Unwound, June of 44, and more, the short-lived band’s sole album presents six songs and 43 minutes of aggressive, furiously played post-rock. Songs like “Shiner,” which comes after the seven-minute-long wordless jam “Bible Silver Corner,” is about as close to straight-up punk as post-rock gets, whereas “The Everyday World of Bodies” foreshadows the sludgy post-metal of bands like Isis. All of which is to say, if you’ve visited Spiderland but haven’t yet said hello to Rusty, it’s time to fix that. — J.K.
08. Explosions In The Sky, The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
For many, albums like Explosions In The Sky’s The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place are what immediately come to mind when someone utters “post-rock.” Consisting of five eight-minute-plus epics, the record checks all of the requisite boxes: no lyrics, guitar tones drenched in reverb and delay, and compositions focused on dynamic crescendos.
Yet, when listening to The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place, none of that matters. The record is far more than a set of songs perfectly exhibiting the stylings of a certain genre. Without a single word, the tracks make good on the promise of the album’s title, dealing with trauma and crisis but ultimately finding liberation in hopeful contentment. They’re visceral, exhilarating, and make a compelling case that, perhaps, the earth is not a cold dead place after all. — J.K.
07. Sigur Rós, Ágætis byrjun
You’d be forgiven for thinking Sigur Rós are a little pretentious. In addition to being a post-rock band (huge pretension points right off the bat), they sing in a half-made-up language and lead singer Jónsi Birgisson reportedly said the band was “simply gonna change music forever, and the way people think about music” prior to Ágætis byrjun’s release. But then, “Svefn-G-Englar” kicks in, with a soundscape that’s somehow simultaneously icy and comfortably warm, and any reservations about the act wash away.
Later tracks like the hopeful “Flugufrelsarinn” or the constantly evolving “Olsen Olsen” maintain the album’s awe-factor. There’s a reason clips from Ágætis byrjun still pop up from time to time in new media; it’s basically a cheat code to give your audience goosebumps. — J.K.
06. Bark Psychosis, Hex
Like any genre, there’s an ongoing debate about who released the first post-rock record. Less up for debate, though, is where the term itself originates: critic Simon Reynolds coined the term in a review of Bark Psychosis’ Hex. And now, with nearly 30 years of hindsight, Reynolds’ characterization holds up. It’s hard to call Hex’s mix of ambient soundscapes, electronics, noise, and guitar music anything other than post-rock.
Beyond its historical importance, though, the actual content of Hex is utterly striking. Though often abstracted through cryptic lyrics and buckets of natural reverb (courtesy of St John’s Church), the record takes the listener through an emotional journey ranging from blissful peace (“Pendulum Man”) to ominous confusion (“Big Shot”). — J.K.
05. Tortoise, Millions Now Living Will Never Die
With trip hop in its prime and remixes of singles like Everything but the Girl’s “Missing” dwarfing the originals in popularity, Tortoise saw an opportunity in their indie rock corner and ran with it. But there’s no way the Chicago band could’ve predicted the impact effected by their futuristic collage of a sophomore album, Millions Now Living Will Never Die. It begins with a 20-minute epic “Djed” and only goes bigger from there, making the ambitious task of fitting elements of jazz, dub, and chamber music into their inhibiting “rock” parameters. With Millions, Tortoise created a subtly seismic aftermath that redefined what the genre could be. — Abby Jones
04. Talk Talk, Laughing Stock
Remarkably, Talk Talk are responsible for two foundational texts in the pantheon of post-rock. While their first dip into the genre, Spirit of Eden, could have just as easily made this list (and ranked just as high), its 1991 follow-up Laughing Stock gains a slight edge for diving even further into the experimental leanings of Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene. The fusion of ambient, jazz, noise, and rock come together for six truly beautiful, world-stopping compositions. From the strings of opener “Myrrhman” to the distant “Runeii,” Laughing Stock demands attention. Hollis’ mark on pop music’s history – both as a popstar and as an uncompromising visionary – is almost hard to overstate, and it’s thanks to contributions like Laughing Stock. — J.K.
03. Mogwai, Young Team
Undoubtedly one of the most popular acts in post-rock, the influence and sheer creativity of the Glasgow quartet Mogwai is astonishing. Any number of their projects, each unique in their own way, deserves a spot in the post-rock hall of fame (My Father My King, Come on Die Young, Happy Songs for Happy People, hell, even their live record Special Moves). Most legendary, though, is their debut Young Team. The record’s songs brim with inspiration and purpose, each headed towards some unspoken goal, from the jump scares of “Like Herold” to the 16-minute masterpiece “Mogwai Fear Satan.” It’s a pity that Mogwai’s later releases will always be compared to Young Team, but with such a powerhouse of an album, it’s overtly obvious why that’s the case. — J.K.
02. Slint, Spiderland
What’s left to say about Slint’s Spiderland? Even asking what’s left to say about Spiderland is tired at this point. And yet, how could you ever stop talking about this record? Songs like “Breadcrumb Trail,” “Nosfertatu Man,” and “Good Morning, Captain” hit with such a specific, unreplicable impact that the album becomes an addictive rabbit hole, beckoning for repeat listen after repeat listen.
Even the quieter moments on the album, “Don, Aman” and “Washer,” burrow themselves deep into the listener (you may uncontrollably mumble “Don stepped outside” every time you leave your home after a particularly intense listening session). Spiderland is a towering work that remains a staple across several genres, has become a litmus test for online music communities, and, most importantly, is a damn compelling listen. — J.K.
01. Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
At its heart, post-rock is a genre that’s deeply, intensely interested in emotion. Above the obscurations, abstractions, and obliqueness that often comes with the style, it’s a genre that aims to capture sublime, ineffable feelings — and few albums achieve that goal so thoroughly as Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven.
Made up of four extended compositions, each broken down into individual segments, the record encapsulates enough raw emotionality to cover a lifetime. Spanning from serenity to chaos, Lift Your Skinny Fists packs profound political, social, and personal themes into its hour-and-a-half runtime, all without ever stating its message outright. Godspeed’s previous effort F#A#∞ reached similar heights, but the grandness and scale of Lift Your Skinny Fists marks it as the crowning achievement of post-rock. — J.K.
10 Albums You Definitely Shouldn’t Play at a Party
Jonah Krueger and Abby Jones
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