A Post All about Post
No, this is not some weird meta post about blogs or something, don’t worry. Have you ever gone looking for new music and in your search, stumbled upon one of the many genres beginning with “post-”, and not known what the hell it meant? Because me too. It’s one of those things, along with “indie”, that's very malleable, with no proper definition in a lot of cases. Post-punk, post-rock, post-hardcore, post-club, post-bop, it’s endless, and confusing, and a little unwieldy. So why not make a list of some of the major ones to help people know what they are diving into? I’ll be going over the general definitions of some of these genres, and a few prominent releases within that can be a good springboard for diving into the sound.
Post-Grunge
From worst to best is the way to go, right? Well, it’s more like from bad to the rest being good, in this case. I’m sure there are plenty of defenders of the genre who grew up in its heyday from the mid ‘90s to the mid 2000s, but aside from a couple notable bands, this is a genre I am not particularly fond of. Also referred to sometimes as “butt rock”, this genre was a spinoff of the much more acclaimed grunge sound that originated in the late ‘80s with bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. With a heavier pop focus than these genres, focusing in on a more familiar song structure and melodies, it eschews some of the more abrasive and interesting elements of its predecessor in order for it to be streamlined for commercial success. Somewhat of a precursor to the explosion of the often disregarded nu-metal scene, post-grunge set the stage for better bands to take back the spotlight in the early 2000s once it was falling past its prime. Some of the more notable bands of the scene, such as Nickelback, Creed and Three Days Grace have fallen far past their glory days and are often disregarded as jokes by most people now, especially with Nickelback being dubbed frequently as one of the worst bands of all time.
Essential Albums:
Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
Our Lady Peace - Clumsy
Post-Punk
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming of talking about music I love. Post-punk is one of the most enduring of the “post” genres, experiencing a renaissance around the end of the butt rock era with revival bands such as The Strokes and Interpol popping up and drawing fans back to the basics, so to speak. Emerging after the punk explosion of the ‘70s, particularly the British scene featuring bands such as The Sex Pistols, post-punk is typically much more rhythmic than its predecessor, it is also a much moodier genre overall, drawing back the yells and screams in exchange for more monotone and droning vocals, lending an overall dressy feeling to the music. A much more experimental genre as well, it features heavier use of synths particularly with acclaimed bands such as New Order and Talking Heads, which helped to spin-off into the genre of New Wave. Inspiring all sorts of artists since its emergence in the late ‘70s-early ‘80s, and influencing genres such as gothic rock, dance punk and no wave, this has been one of the most endearing and long-lasting genres, with bands such as Protomartyr and Fontaines D.C. still producing outstanding music.
Essential Albums:
Joy Division - Closer
Talking Heads - Remain in Light
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Let Love In
Protomartyr - Under Color of Official Right
XTC - Drums and Wires
Post-Rock
One of the more nebulous and confusing genres of the bunch, post-rock works almost as a catch-all, with so many albums under the banner containing so many different sounds and vibes. Defined by slower songs, heavier tones and an overall preference for texture in lieu of more common song structures, First being coined in a review by Simon Reynolds for the album Hex by Bark Psychosis, the genre was originally developed by bands such as Talk Talk and Slint with each of their 1991 albums, both taking drastically different angles to the new scene. With Talk Talk embracing the jazzier side of the genre, while the latter was more influenced by post-hardcore (more on that later), I wouldn’t blame anyone who listened to both of them and disagreed that they belong to the same genre of music. While this is a genre that has not featured an extensive amount of commercial success, with bands such as Explosions in the Sky being primarily known due to the placement of their music in the show Friday Night Lights, it has been frequently acclaimed within music circles online. Bands such as Swans and Godspeed You! Black Emperor have been elevated to music royalty on the internet, along with Black Country, New Road garnering a bit of commercial success following their incredible 2022 album Ant From Up There. While this may not be the easiest genre to get into, it is a heavily rewarding one, featuring some of the most atmospherically interesting musical pallets I’ve ever heard.
Essential Albums:
Mogwai - Young Team
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven!
Slint - Spiderland
Swans - Soundtracks for the Blind
Corea - Los peores 7 km de mi vida
Post-Hardcore
This is probably my personal favourite of the genres I’ll be talking about today. Originating following the hardcore punk scene of the 1980s, the genre was pioneered by bands such as Hüsker Dü and Minutemen, taking the heavier and faster elements of its predecessor and drawing influence from experimental rock. Often crossing over into the noise rock area, it is heavy, hard-hitting, technically impressive, and just a blast to listen along to. With relative commercial success to go along with the numerous classics within the genre, it is a scene that has refused to stagnate and stall throughout its existence, drawing from and influencing genres such as emo, screamo, the aforementioned noise rock, and more. Notably crossing over with the previously mentioned post-rock genre for the 1991 album Spiderland, post-hardcore’s influence is spread out throughout rock and metal to this day, and it seems unlikely to slow down at all with bands such as Touché Amoré and Idles drawing influence from the sound and experiencing critical and commercial success.
Essential Albums:
Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime
Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
Idles - Brutalism
At the Drive-In - Relationship of Command
Post-Bop
This is admittedly the genre I am by far the least familiar with of the ones I am covering today, so apologies if the essential albums are relatively basic, as I have not delved too deep past the more notable albums. While it is one I have dabbled in and dipped my toes into, I have less of a personal attachment, or extensive history through things like radio, with it, but I will try my best. Popping up in the ‘60s from the Hard Bop genre, it is influenced by Modal Jazz in the wake of the Free Jazz movement, and is a term typically given to a relatively small group of artists. Featuring the most success following a duo of albums from the legendary Miles Davis, it has failed to stay in the limelight since its peak in the late ‘60s, although there is still a dedicated group of musicians carrying the torch to this day. A relatively difficult genre to explain and define, both due to my lack of experience with it and the overall variation of music within the genre itself, it is still an essential genre with some classic albums that should not be overlooked by any jazz heads.
Essential Albums:
Komeda Quintet - Astigmatic
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles