Music Discovery Digest #3 | Post-Rock Odyssey Edition
A guide to post-rock and instrumental rock: origins, key albums, top artists, and a curated playlist featuring Mogwai, Sigur Rós, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Welcome to Music Discovery Digest #3. This week I deep-dived into the post-rock genre, revisiting the music that changed how I think about sound back then.
Here’s the thing about post-rock: most of us don’t have the patience to listen to eight-minute instrumentals. We want lyrics to grab onto, hooks we can sing along to. But these musicians hit me totally differently—with melody, with ambiance, with calm and quiet atmospheres that demand you slow down and actually listen.
It started with God Is an Astronaut’s “Tempus Horizon” back in 2007. That track opened a door, and I’ve been searching for various post-rock artists ever since, discovering so many incredible musicians I’d never heard of. To be honest, I haven’t been listening to them for a long time—but now it’s time to revisit this world and learn what’s happening in post-rock today. Plus, a little research into its history to discover new music without algorithmic recommendations, which is exactly what The Sound Vault is all about.
Quick Note: Just renewed my Bandcamp and SoundCloud catalogs. Want to hear my music? Bandcamp | SoundCloud
Post-Rock Songs on The Sound Vault
I only post song stories if I adore a song at first listen or when discovering something new. So far, I’ve featured five songs on the blog—all tracks I’ve loved for a long time and never get bored listening to. Especially “Tempus Horizon”—I listened to it repeatedly when I was younger. I never get bored of it, and I’m still excited every time I hear its introduction. Mooncake is new to me, but the rest are adorable post-rock songs.
