In true Gullickson fashion, no sooner did I finish the first draft of my chamber orchestra piece than I began to cook up ideas for the next project. And following upon the "musical origin" idea that I discussed below, I've decided that my next piece will in some way reflect the some of the music that influenced me early, specifically the bands that have been grouped together under the odd umbrella of "post-rock."
Naturally, the first thing I need to do is figure out just what the hell "post-rock" is; only then can I decide what I want to take from it. When one is exploring a shady and possibly bogus artistic category, I'd say the best approach is to determine not what the term in its purest form refers to, but rather what, in its most vernacular use, people think it refers to. As such, I've made use of two particularly populist sources, first being the venerable Wikipedia and the second, more vitally as it is responsible for first introducing me to some of these bands, Allmusic.
So. There was agreement between the two articles on the significant milestones: Slint's Spiderland, Talk Talk's Laughing Stock, and the early output of Tortoise. Of these, only the latter has been a significant influence on me, but they were absolutely one of the five bands I was most crazy about in high school. In the list of other associated bands, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Mogwai, and curiously Sigur Ros are always mentioned. I think Wikipedia makes a significant point when it mentions The Velvet Underground as a predecessor, for their experimental attitude and particularly, concretely for their frequent use of drones. Aside from this, notes about influence are extremely weak: several obscure bands and genres are listed whose direct impact I frankly doubt. The shoegaze movement and My Bloody Valentine are also referred to, which I suppose I can accept, just because of the emphasis on sonic experience over song structures and catchy tunes. What's missing, I think, is the influence of classical music, particularly minimalism, although I'll absolutely admit that post-rock has a nearly universally dark tone that is absent at least from the most popular classical minimalism.
As is so frequently the case, the "post-rock" label has become applied to such a wide variety of music that it has lost much practical use, if indeed it had any to begin with. But as all labels, it arose in response to a perceived trend, and I do believe that these perceptions were grounded to some extent in the music and not just in political or geographical or social factors. So, Wikipedia and Allmusic. Let's talk about the actual musical content. What makes post-rock post-rock? I'll even do this in bullet points.
• Both articles emphasize the mixing of genres (ambient, jazz, electronica, etc; Allmusic lists a number of experimental rock genres so narrow and obscure that one hesitates to refer to them as "genres").
• Allmusic's article is actually entitled "Post-Rock/Experimental," suggesting from the outset that the classification is something of an umbrella term.
• Both mention the music's hypnotic/droning qualities (words always used to describe classical minimalism).
• In the words of Allmusic, post-rock was "far more concerned with pure sound and texture than melodic hooks or song structure"--words that immediately make me think of contemporary classical music's aesthetic preferences.
• Both suggest that the music was usually instrumental; Allmusic goes on, "if it did employ vocals, they were often incidental to the overall effect."
• The initial, concise Wikipedia definition: "Post-rock is a genre of alternative rock characterized by the use of musical instruments commonly associated with rock music, but using rhythms, harmonies, melodies, timbre, and chord progressions that are not found in rock tradition. Simply put, it is the use of 'rock instrumentation' for non-rock purposes. "
Rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes. It seems to me that post-rock refers, or at one point referred, to music that superficially sounded like rock, was played by groups that were recognizably rock bands, but that had its origins in more classically associated impulses. In this respect, the Downtown movement represents a counterpart: I've heard Downtown music described as classical music with rock energy, combining classical and rock influences.
So classical ideas of form made their way into rock, and now they're finding their way back, changed through the process. The question of notation, I think, is central. Does it cease to be rock music and begin to be classical if it's played from a score? We don't necessarily need to answer these questions; we can accept that this is a music that exists in the gray between. This is the foundation of the new piece: classical music had something to offer to rock, and the amalgam that resulted has now something to offer to contemporary notated music.
What that is in specific, I haven't entirely worked out yet.
Naturally, the first thing I need to do is figure out just what the hell "post-rock" is; only then can I decide what I want to take from it. When one is exploring a shady and possibly bogus artistic category, I'd say the best approach is to determine not what the term in its purest form refers to, but rather what, in its most vernacular use, people think it refers to. As such, I've made use of two particularly populist sources, first being the venerable Wikipedia and the second, more vitally as it is responsible for first introducing me to some of these bands, Allmusic.
So. There was agreement between the two articles on the significant milestones: Slint's Spiderland, Talk Talk's Laughing Stock, and the early output of Tortoise. Of these, only the latter has been a significant influence on me, but they were absolutely one of the five bands I was most crazy about in high school. In the list of other associated bands, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Mogwai, and curiously Sigur Ros are always mentioned. I think Wikipedia makes a significant point when it mentions The Velvet Underground as a predecessor, for their experimental attitude and particularly, concretely for their frequent use of drones. Aside from this, notes about influence are extremely weak: several obscure bands and genres are listed whose direct impact I frankly doubt. The shoegaze movement and My Bloody Valentine are also referred to, which I suppose I can accept, just because of the emphasis on sonic experience over song structures and catchy tunes. What's missing, I think, is the influence of classical music, particularly minimalism, although I'll absolutely admit that post-rock has a nearly universally dark tone that is absent at least from the most popular classical minimalism.
As is so frequently the case, the "post-rock" label has become applied to such a wide variety of music that it has lost much practical use, if indeed it had any to begin with. But as all labels, it arose in response to a perceived trend, and I do believe that these perceptions were grounded to some extent in the music and not just in political or geographical or social factors. So, Wikipedia and Allmusic. Let's talk about the actual musical content. What makes post-rock post-rock? I'll even do this in bullet points.
• Both articles emphasize the mixing of genres (ambient, jazz, electronica, etc; Allmusic lists a number of experimental rock genres so narrow and obscure that one hesitates to refer to them as "genres").
• Allmusic's article is actually entitled "Post-Rock/Experimental," suggesting from the outset that the classification is something of an umbrella term.
• Both mention the music's hypnotic/droning qualities (words always used to describe classical minimalism).
• In the words of Allmusic, post-rock was "far more concerned with pure sound and texture than melodic hooks or song structure"--words that immediately make me think of contemporary classical music's aesthetic preferences.
• Both suggest that the music was usually instrumental; Allmusic goes on, "if it did employ vocals, they were often incidental to the overall effect."
• The initial, concise Wikipedia definition: "Post-rock is a genre of alternative rock characterized by the use of musical instruments commonly associated with rock music, but using rhythms, harmonies, melodies, timbre, and chord progressions that are not found in rock tradition. Simply put, it is the use of 'rock instrumentation' for non-rock purposes. "
Rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes. It seems to me that post-rock refers, or at one point referred, to music that superficially sounded like rock, was played by groups that were recognizably rock bands, but that had its origins in more classically associated impulses. In this respect, the Downtown movement represents a counterpart: I've heard Downtown music described as classical music with rock energy, combining classical and rock influences.
So classical ideas of form made their way into rock, and now they're finding their way back, changed through the process. The question of notation, I think, is central. Does it cease to be rock music and begin to be classical if it's played from a score? We don't necessarily need to answer these questions; we can accept that this is a music that exists in the gray between. This is the foundation of the new piece: classical music had something to offer to rock, and the amalgam that resulted has now something to offer to contemporary notated music.
What that is in specific, I haven't entirely worked out yet.
