Discussion on Rock and "Post-Rock"
 

A few days ago, my girlfriend and I were discussing our tastes in music. She likes bands like La Dispute, Explosions in the Sky, Radiohead, Glassjaw, and Modest Mouse, but she claims not to like rock music. I was puzzled. Most of the bands she likes would fall under rock as a sub-genre of rock.

She said this - "I don't like rock, I like post-rock."

I tried explaining to her that that's basically impossible. A lot of the music she listens to, I would say, is a form of rock. Post-rock isn't usually a term that bands in the "post-rock" scene/genre identify themselves as. In fact, they try to steer clear of being called post-rock, as it sort of implies that rock is dead and gone.

What do you guys think? Is my girlfriend making sense? Is post-rock just a term coined by critics, or is it something entirely separate from rock?

Your feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks.

I'm going to try to make the following statement without insulting your girlfriend too much because I honestly don't want to but since I'm being honest I'm going to go all the way.

"I don't like rock, I like post-rock." is retarded.

That's like saying "I don't like cars, I like Toyotas."

I agree completely, Exoskeletal. I guess her view of rock is that it's something only applied to heavier acts like Tool or Godsmack, that it's exclusive to a certain sound involving huge, pounding guitar and angry vocals, which is a very filtered and to be honest, ignorant view of rock music in general.

But what I'm really trying to get at, rather than complaining about my girlfriend, is the term "post-rock" and the different opinions on it. The music that commonly falls under the term "post-rock" is actually great music, but calling it post-rock seems a little inaccurate. So what should record stores call it? Does it even matter what we call it?

I think the idea behind the name "post-rock" was to describe musicians from a rock background using rock instrumentation to play a new style of music that could no longer really be considered rock in any sense. So I actually think it's a fairly reasonable descriptor.

In that sense your girlfriend isn't off-base to distinguish between the two. The only problem is, based on the bands you listed, most of what she likes is definitely rock. :p:

Your girlfriend sounds like a bit of a dumb-ass, only one of those bands could be described as post-rock.

But, to enlighten you and fellow ignoramuses, I shall detail what post rock entails.

Post rock shares many characteristics with rock, and uses instruments one would expect to find in rock, however post rock uses these instruments in a way not associated with the former.
Post rock combines elements of ambience and shoegaze to create a unique instrumental style that you will find in such bands as Mogwai, [The] Slowest Runner [In The World] and 65DaysOfStatic.

:bonkhead:

Does Chuck Berry sound like Led Zeppelin? Does Black Sabbath sound like Motley Crue? How about Guns n Roses and Nirvana?

Rock is an ever changing style meant to appeal to the youth of a generation as one of their first common voices in the mainstream of society. You can distinguish it if you feel necessary to play into the stylish hand so many hipsters purport to hate but really, at this point 'post' rock is this generation's 'alternative' rock.

I didn't check to see how many times this has been said but...

NONE of those bands are post-rock.

EDIT: Oh, Explosions in the Sky. Missed that. They are. Nothing else though.

Dude, dump your hipster girlfriend and get a black metal chick.

Is that you in drag?

Nicely said, I agree.