* (restored)

Post-rock first appeared in inverted commas and it might have been better if it’d stayed there. But it didn’t, and it looks as though we’re stuck with it. Still, never mind:

 

1. Bark Psychosis, “Scum”

As usually happens with genres, the label has provoked no end of anguish among artists and audiences, all understandably protective of their identities, keen not to be cashed out for the convenience of lazy journalist slags.

 

2. Slint, “Breadcrumb Trail”

I think post-rock is a label in the same way punk is a label: “Never Mind The Bollocks” sounds nothing like “Horses”, which sounds nothing like “Ramones Leave Home”, which sounds nothing like “The Feeding of the Five Thousand”, which sounds nothing like “Double Nickels On The Dime”, which sounds nothing like “Bad Brains”, which sounds nothing like “The Scream”, which … yet, when we talk about punk, we kind of understand what we mean. We understand that we’re talking about an attitude, a discipline, moreso than about how loud the guitars are and whether you can hear the words.

 

3. Mogwai, “Rollerball”

What I’m saying, then, is that post-rock was a useful label during a phase in pop music when the fabric of what a band / performance / recording could be was getting playfully tailored into new shapes. Of course, this goes on all the time, often un-apprehended. The cyclic view of history as applied to pop music doesn’t sell any significant number of inky newspapers, which used to be considered an important thing. But more importantly, a label could be a license to create.

 

4. Disco Inferno, “Footprints In Snow”

It probably isn’t important to point out where this stuff comes from, exactly, its precedents. They’re well documented. More important than any one figure, I think, is access to technology. I’m pretty sure about this: throughout the 80s and into the 90s, a bunch of affordable, viable studio technology emerged, meaning that it was no longer absolutely necessary to be Brian Eno or Trevor Horn before you could spend days playing around with samplers or synthesizers to see what happened. Conventional wisdom has it that this is part of how acid house happened; I think the same forces were at work here, too.

 

5. Godspeed You Black Emperor!, “Moya”

It’s also tempting to consider a lot of this music as oppositional, or at least pointedly individual. To take one example: for a long time I didn’t care for Godspeed, for exhaustively thought-out reasons I won’t bore you with. But, as I’ve realised, what happens in Godspeed’s music is defiantly their own thing. The reverent, solemn pacing of their music is as purposeful as the presentation of their records and live performances. That I used to bridle at this, then, was my problem.

 

6. Stereolab, “Super-Electric”

A drone can be a powerful thing. It says things like “I persist,” and “I contain multitudes”. Anyone who’s had the chance to hear Charlemagne Palestine’s “Strumming Music” or Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “One Note Samba” will have heard how a simple group of notes repeated over and over again can reveal animation and interest in a way that seems simultaneously magical, irresistible and defiant. In isolation, like in the Palestine performance, a drone can be beatific. Forced to exist among other musical events, a drone can feel inconvenient, itchy, destabilising. It can be, particularly in Stereolab’s music, the presence of an active resistance.

 

7. Tortoise, “Glass Museum”

I find it interesting to think about the relations between a lot of this music and vocals. In an earlier draft of this piece, I wrote that if there was any unifying concern of the music considered under this label, it might be that it desires deep reflection in the listener. That’s not quite sufficient, but I think there’s something to it. Somewhere and often, speech seems to have become a problem.

 

8. Bowery Electric, “Fear Of Flying”

Then again, words might only get in the way. The songs on Slint’s album Spiderland are sinister, elliptical stories set to measured, pacing music that feels disconcertingly like what brooding on deep hurts actually feels like. As the gathering storm of the last song on the record finally breaks, the narration becomes inaudible for a few crucial seconds, and the thread of exactly what awful thing was going on becomes forever lost to the listener. But the scariest song on this frightening record is still the instrumental.

 

9. Gastr del Sol, “Every Five Miles”

If we want to think about the practice of making music like one or another of these examples, we might start by thinking about manipulating context, as a director and editor manipulate the context of a shot in a film. For Don Caballero and Labradford, song titles become super-verbose, turned against their function, (“In the Absence of Strong Evidence to the Contrary, One May Step Out of the Way of the Charging Bull”) or otherwise disappear altogether (“S”, “Recorded and mixed at Sound of Music, Richmond, VA.”). Meanwhile, GYBE’s records materialise in editions that combine the haphazard and inscrutable with the painstakingly deliberate.

 

10. Miles Davis, “He Loved Him Madly” (part 1)

“Haphazard and inscrutable and painstakingly deliberate” would also be a fair description of Miles Davis’ “He Loved Him Madly”, a funereal elegy for Duke Ellington that sprawls like a luminescent jellyfish in a deep dark sea. The animation in this limpid music is animation in space, in timbre, and in utterance. Spliced and mixed down from hours of improv, it drifts, seemingly motionless, but under the surface it teems with meaning.

 

11. Labradford, “Lake Speed”

Portentous brooding isn’t the only permissible mode, even if some people seem to think otherwise. If this practice of music is truly open, after all, that means it must also being open to being upbeat, melodic, even charming. It might be an unlikely prospect that the Jonas Brothers will get together with Jim O’Rourke to do an album of faith-crisis-themed tropicalia with extra VCS3, but it doesn’t feel altogether impossible.

 

12. Do Make Say Think, “Classic Noodlanding”

There is something that I find particularly satisfying about any sort of music or theatre or cinema that attempts to engage with these concerns of space, context and utterance. I have some fussy, half-formed notion that doing so enables these artforms to access the audience’s imagination in the same way that fiction does, but I don’t have the theory chops to back these sorts of assertions up. Ultimately all I know is that it involves me in ways other music, including some of my favourite music, does not, and I like that.

 

13. Mono, “Follow The Map”

I know that I respond to recognising that people are trying to achieve something. It doesn’t have to be something brand new. I think there is a unique thrill that comes with witnessing a particular quality – I originally wrote ‘tangible effort’, but I might as well write ‘daring’ – that doesn’t come with anything else.

 

14. Pluramon, “Time (catharsia mix)”

It’s also a question of faith: willingness on the part of the listener to hear “He Loved Him Madly” as a drifting elegy is pretty much all that keeps it from sounding like a guttering jam session by a band that can’t remember how to play “Mood Indigo”. The listener has to be daring too.

But given the choice between someone who’s precisely in control of his utterance, and someone who might well fuck it up but is absolutely committed nonetheless, I’ll always opt for the latter. When we’re asked to bring something of ourselves to a performance or a film, we’re asked to do work. It’s always easier and more pleasurable to work with people who take care with what they do.

 

15. Fridge, “Five Four Child Voice”

I think the post-rock label identifies a phase in musical history where this sort of experimental play was something people became excited about. But I think that some of the music from this time remains so rewarding because of its interplay with more familiar forms and aesthetics. I think that experimentation for experimentation’s sake can often be valuable or remarkable, but I don’t think it’s often as daring or rewarding as expression is.

Critical theory or this or that other baggage isn’t necessary to either understand or justify wanting this sort of discovering-experience with music, because when you get ahold of it you feel a sensation that’s completely immediate. It’s a sea of possibilities, as P. Smith puts it, and we can walk into the waves any time we like.

 

16. Xinlisupreme, “All You Need Is Love Was Not True”

 

Music credits:

1. “Scum” by Bark Psychosis is on the compilations “Independency” and “Game Over”

2. “Breadcrumb Trail” by Slint is the first track on their album “Spiderland”

3. “Rollerball” by Mogwai is on the compilation “EP + 6”

4. “Footprints In Snow” by Disco Inferno is the last track on “D.I. Go Pop”

5. “Moya” by Godspeed You Black Emperor is on “Slow Riot For New Zerø Kanada”

6. “Super-Electric” by Stereolab is from “Switched On”.

7. “Glass Museum” by Tortoise is from “Millions Now Living Will Never Die”

8. “Fear of Flying” by Bowery Electric is on “Beat”

9. “Every Five Miles” by Gastr del Sol is from “Crookt, Crackt or Fly”.

10. “He Loved Him Madly” by Miles Davis is on “Get Up With It”

11. “Lake Speed” by Labradford is on their 1996 self-titled album.

12. “Classic Noodlanding” by Do Make Say Think is from “& Yet & Yet”

13. “Follow The Map” by Mono is on “Hymn To The Immortal Wind”

14. “Time (catharsia mix)” by Pluramon, featuring Julee Cruise & Keith Rowe, is on “Dreams Top Rock”

15. “Five Four Child Voice” by Fridge is on “Happiness”

16. “All You Need Is Love Was Not True” by Xinlisupreme is from “Tomorrow Never Comes”

 

 

*

p.s. Hey. ** Charalampos, Still say, apparently. Instagram seems ok so far. I haven’t looked at your page yet, but I will. I’m still figuring the place out. Meat = yikes at the very least, true. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Yes, we’re writing the new film. I’m waiting for Zac’s feedback on the latest draft right now. I was thinking and hoping you’d say Orbán. Mine? I guess I would have to say Trump, but the bullet would need to then ricochet and pass through the skulls of Vance, Stephen Miller, Rubio, Hegseth, Bondi, and at least 10 or so other Trump minions. I’m down with love’s directive of yesterday. Love wondering whatever happened to The Dreadful Flying Glove, G. ** James, You remain the ideal post reader and responder. I salute you! And it’s a salty salute to boot. I’m almost cogent enough to begin my initial exploration of your substack. My body is twiddling its fingers. I’m sure your voice is singular and bears no traces of mine. Those are very elegant paper cranes. Nice. I didn’t expect such mastery of the crane anatomy. I don’t know what I expected though. They’re meaty too. Oh, so you’re off to the north today. Gosh, I hope you’re dazzled up there. When are you back? Be yourself. ** Poecilia, Oh, wow, those PGL inspired things are beautiful and poignant and, gosh, so nice. Thank you for doing them and letting me see them. I’m going to click and drag them onto my screen so Zac can see them if that’s okay. Or I guess even if not. Conspiratorially mean … ooh, I’m going to look for that. Anyway, that’s amazing. And I’m not easy to please actually. xo. ** Steeqhen, Always happy to bolster. Nice: the questioning yourself angle. Good prying. Awesome re: the planning. Thanks, pal, and apologies for this hazy-ish response. But I think my mind is starting to break through. ** jay, Hey. Guns aren’t really a powerful symbol for me either, I don’t know why. I’ve never been drawn to ‘the phallic’, but again I don’t know why. I fired a gun once at a shooting range when I was teen. I did not expect firing it to make my shooting arm fly wildly in the air as a result of the firing’s impact, and I did not like that, and I left guns to others ever since. Watching ‘Martyrs’ seems like a solid Easter plan. I didn’t even do that. I planned to go out on Saturday to investigate what fancy, imaginative Easter-themed chocolates that the patisseries might have cooked up, but I didn’t do that either. I just tried to stay awake basically. Anything exciting this week? xo, me. ** _Black_Acrylic, I like staple guns too. Who doesn’t, I would imagine? Yay re: and to your brother Nick. What a good dude. ** Tyler Ookami, Oh, I thought ‘TTA’ was new. I can’t remember what I read. What’s his name plays the Toxic Avenger, I think … I’m spacing on his name. From ‘Game of Thrones’ and all that. Oh, that’s a great painting! Maybe it kind of works with today’s post? I’m happy to have your imgur now available and bookmarked too, surely needless to say. Everyone, Go check out Tyler Ookami’s really swell new large painting at his imgur right here What do you do at the pizza store? It’s a pizza ‘store’ as opposed to ‘restaurant’? I like the idea of a pizza store. ** Nicholas., My body’s less jet lagged, but my brain is still pretty fuzzy. I’m close to being fully returned, I think. I’ve never used ChatGBT. I don’t even know how. I suppose it’s easy to figure out. I guess I’m still a little wary of it, but I don’t really have a reason to feel wary. Strange. That I didn’t realise until now? Hm, I don’t know. I think I realised everything that was great at the time? I ate really, really good vegan Persian food at some newish place on Sunset Blvd in Echo Park whose name I can’t remember and that was fun. Say more about your newly birthed brand. That’s exciting. ** Bill, Hey! It got through. It’s not just you. I don’t know about the Burroughs reference. I’ll have to scroll back up and investigate. So you’re home now. And hopefully you’re not as jet lagged as I have been and remain to some degree, ugh. Hoo Mojong … not off the top of my head. I’ll go look. Solar Return … no, I don’t think I know them, but they’re from Nantes?! Then I should. Off to the races or their race or whatever, cool. Safe and suitably in-flight entertainment-packed flight, I hope. ** Steve, Cool, I need some sonic input badly. Everyone, The new edition of Steve’s radio show is now up and fully listenable here. I’m going to head over there in a short while. How about you? We wanted to submit ‘RT’ to Prismatic Ground, but we missed the deadline, drat. I’ll definitely go use their site to watch stuff. Thanks! ** scunnard, Hi. I’ve resisted doing a crowdfunding thing, even when our film was in desperate need, but I do have colleagues who’ve made that work well for them and their projects. The ‘getting the word out’ part is really the part I don’t feel confident I could do. But it’s probably easier than it seems. Right, that Christ guy I’ve heard so much about. Welcome back to him, I guess? ** rene, Hi! No problem on the timing of the comments. Time is kind of relative around here. Your novel description sounds neither pretentious nor stupid whatsoever. Quite the opposite. So no worries as far as I’m concerned anyway. Keep at it. When I write novels, I always try to do something that would seem to be slightly (at least) out of my talent’s range, and so far I’ve managed to pull it off albeit sometimes not in the way or to the degree that I planned. If that makes sense. Bristol … I think I went to a gig in Bristol, but it was a long time ago, and I don’t remember much of anything about the gig’s context. Next time I’m in the UK, I’ll try to go wander about in Bristol attentively. Thanks! Luck with the novel. Let me know how it’s going, if you like. ** Malik, Hey, hey. I have to say that sounds really fun, the one day only aspect, now that you mention the collaborative nature. I love collaborating. It’s exhilarating when you normally just sit at a computer tapping. Right, getting your feet wet that way makes sense. Awesome! ** catachrestic, Well, I wouldn’t mind, but I kind of hate parties, so no sweat if it’s logistically nonsensical. The FN P90 is pretty attractive. I like guns that aren’t phallic. Revolutions are bad for art because artists make agit prop, political art that both isn’t very persuasive and dates horribly? ‘Napoleon’ will put you right to sleep. Swear to god. Okay, Lamartine makes me curious. Maybe I’ll look into that. Maybe I’ll even make a Lamartine post, who knows, whoa. I … don’t believe I’ve read Tocqueville. Sounds pretty interesting. I’m going to ask my literate and trustworthy French friends what they think about him. My guess is they’ll say they read him in school and don’t remember. Week starting appropriately? ** Misanthrope, Hi. Leeds: that’s where Ben lives, I think? I do remember Rigby grew up in New Zealand. I’m glad you’re connected with Angela. Yeah, that must really help. And I remember that you guys were hoping to come to Paris. I hope you still can. With Alex maybe? Hugs, man. ** Måns BT Hej, Måns! Cool, thank you a lot about contacting Zits about RT! You’ve gotten the GbV bug! Congratulations! They’ll eat you alive if you let them. Hard to pick my fave GbV albums given the volume and constant greatness, but … ‘Under the Bushes, Under the Stars’, ‘Universal Truths and Cycles’, ‘Bee Thousand’ of course, ‘Let’s Go Eat the Factory’ maybe, … actually their new one, ‘Universe Room’ is my favorite among their recent output. Favorite songs is too hard. I’d have to really think, and my brain is still kind of jet lag-clouded. I recently read a book I really liked called ‘Plants Don’t Drink Coffee’ by Unai Elloriaga, who’s a Basque writer. Haven’t seen any films of amazement recently. I watched Ulrich Seidel’s documentary ‘In the Basement’, which was quite interesting but not amazing. xo. ** Uday, I like stapling guns, but not guns themselves so much. I’ve twice had guns pointed at me, once by a kidnapper when I was young and once by a guy who was robbing the 7-11 I was shopping at. No pleasure there for sure. Congrats on the prize/voucher. There’s something by me in The Thing book but I don’t remember what it is. It might be an interview, or I might’ve written something? No idea when ‘RT’ will be streaming. It’ll be a while. We’re still in the phase of showing it at festivals. I’d like a foamy shower. I don’t think my current soap can provide that, but I hope yours does. ** Darbz, Hi! Gosh, I don’t remember which gig I was referring to. Shit, sorry. My mind is really hazy from jet lag. The trip was very good. Mostly I ate bean and cheese burritos. I had them at Poquito Mas, Mixto, Del Taco, El Coyote, and a food truck whose name I can’t remember. I didn’t get your package, no. I will check again with my LA roommate just in case he stored it somewhere and forgot to tell me. Sorry. If it is there, I’ll get it when I go back there in June. Honestly, I think you still communicate very interestingly and complexly and inspiringly. Maybe you just do it differently now, or I know you well enough to read between the lines maybe? Anyway, no worries, you’re being very interesting as ever. Seriously. No question. How did your week start? Afreshly to your mind, I hope? Love, me. ** HaRpEr, Hey. Oh, my email is [email protected]. Huh, I’ve been wanting to watch ‘Megalopolis’, of course, but I keep wondering if I should. Strange. You make it sound doable. 400 pages, so … big enough. I have to prepare for that. I haven’t read a novel over 200-ish pages in a long time. Exciting. Thanks, pal. ** nat, Easter is a holiday that should be fun given the bunnies aspect but kind of isn’t unless you’re under 12 years old? ‘Targets’ is good, right? Bogdanovich was an interesting director when he first started out. I wonder what happened. Once you’ve mentally upended your project to your satisfaction it starts getting exciting again, as I guess you probably know. ** Arno, Hi, Arno. That Frank & Robert work looks cool. I’ll investigate it. Thank you. We’ve only had the premiere screening so far, so we’ll see. The response and critical stuff has been very, very good. That’s interesting: my friend the American writer Jeff Jackson just wrote a trilogy of novels all at the same time too. You’re lucky to have that publisher, and, you know, they’re the really lucky ones. Anyway, thanks! ** Right. Sorry, my lagged brain kind of started dying out partway through the p.s. Let’s see … Today you get a revival of quite old post made by the legendary, long lost commenter and distinguished local The Dreadful Flying Glove that I certainly hope will be of interest to you. See you with hopefully more wakefulness tomorrow.