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Post-hardcore

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Post-hardcore
Stylistic originsHardcore punk, emo, post-punk, noise rock, experimental rock
Cultural originsMid-'80s United States and United Kingdom[1]
Typical instrumentsDrums, bass guitar, electric guitar, vocals
Derivative formsMath rock, melodic hardcore, emo, screamo
Fusion genres
Screamo, electronicore, melodic metalcore

Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups who emerged from the hardcore punk scene, or took inspiration from hardcore, while concerning themselves with a wider palette of expression, closer to experimental rock.

The genre took shape in the mid- to late-1980s with releases from the Midwestern United States. These included bands on SST Records,[1] and bands from Washington, D.C. such as Fugazi[2] (see the era's releases on Dischord Records, for example), as well as slightly different sounding groups such as Big Black and Jawbox that stuck closer to the noise rock roots of post-hardcore.[3]

Characteristics

Post-hardcore is typically characterized by its precise rhythms and loud guitar-based instrumentation accompanied by a combination of clean vocals and screams. Allmusic states, "These newer bands, termed post-hardcore, often found complex and dynamic ways of blowing off steam that generally went outside the strict hardcore realm of 'loud fast rules'. Additionally, many of these bands' vocalists were just as likely to deliver their lyrics with a whispered croon as they were a maniacal yelp."[2] The genre has developed a balance of dissonance and melody, in part channeling the loud and fast hardcore ethos into more measured, subtle forms of tension and release. Jeff Terich of Treblezine states, "Instead of sticking to hardcore's rigid constraints, these artists expanded beyond power chords and gang vocals, incorporating more creative outlets for punk rock energy."[4]

History

1980s

Post-hardcore is an offspring coming from hardcore punk,[2] which had typically featured very fast tempos, loud volume and heavy bass levels.[5]

By the mid-1980s, groups classified as hardcore, or with strong roots in the genre, began to experiment with the basic template. The initial outcropping of these groups typically recorded for SST Records[6] (the Minutemen, Hüsker Dü, the Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr., and Gone), and emerged from the increasingly experimental tendencies of Black Flag and Greg Ginn's evolving musical tastes. Many of these groups also took inspiration from the '80s noise rock scene pioneered by Sonic Youth.[4] Steve Albini's group Big Black, and subsequent projects Rapeman and Shellac are also associated with post-hardcore.[4] Critic Steven Blush described Big Black as "an angst-ridden response to the rigid English post-punk of Gang of Four".[7] Naked Raygun also made use of "oblique lyrics and stark post-punk melodies".[7]

Later releases on Dischord Records also extended the post-hardcore style, most famously in the work of Fugazi,[2][4] but also including bands such as Embrace, Rites of Spring, Nation of Ulysses, Jawbox, Shudder to Think, and Lungfish. Dischord groups also experimented with influences from soul music, dub, post-punk, funk, jazz, and dance-punk. Math rock and to some degree riot grrl were offshoots of this movement.

1990s

During the 90's a third iteration of post-hardcore took place with the work of musicians who had first come to prominence in the youth crew scene, most famously Fugazi, Unsane, Quicksand, On the Might of Princes,[2][4] Drive Like Jehu, Unwound, Les Savy Fav, Refused, Hot Water Music, Cap'n Jazz, Texas Is the Reason and Helmet. The genre then experienced a stand by stage when most of the major bands in the scene disbanded.

It seemed that the post-hardcore style and it's scene was gone for good. Nevertheless, some bands associated with art punk and alternative rock like Glassjaw, Idlewild and At the Drive-In[4] who were influenced by many post-hardcore bands, took certain elements of the genre renewing it and avoiding what it seemed to be it's imminent disappearance.

As a consequence of this, post-hardcore began to be listened by other groups of persons foreign to the underground scene. In other words, it passed to the mainstream or popular circuit.

2000s

Senses Fail - live in concert

In the late 1990s, new bands formed who popularized the style. These include Thursday,[8] Thrice,[9] Finch,[10] and Poison the Well.[11] By 2003, post-hardcore had caught the attention of major labels including Island Records, who signed Thrice and Thursday, Atlantic Records, who signed Poison the Well, and Geffen Records, who had absorbed Finch from their former label Drive-Thru Records. Post-hardcore also began to do well in sales with Thrice's The Artist in the Ambulance and Thursday's War All the Time which charted #16[12] and #7,[13] respectively, on the Billboard 200 in 2003.

Around this time, a new wave of post-hardcore bands began to emerge onto the scene that incorporated more pop punk and alternative rock styles into their music. These bands include The Used,[14] Hawthorne Heights,[15] Senses Fail,[16] From First to Last,[17] Emery[18] in addition to Canadian post-hardcore bands Silverstein[19] and Alexisonfire.[20] This group of post-hardcore bands gained mainstream recognition with the help of MTV and Warped Tour. The Used released some minor radio hits and later received gold certifications for their first two studio albums The Used and In Love and Death from the RIAA.[21] Hawthorne Heights' debut album The Silence in Black and White was also certified gold.[21]

In the mid to late 2000s, bands formed that mix elements of post-hardcore "with a hybrid style drawing from both screamo and electronica."[22] I See Stars and Jamie's Elsewhere are recently formed bands that are examples of this fusion subgenre.[22][23] Attack Attack! is a significantly more popular example, with their debut album, Someday Came Suddenly, setting a precedent for newer bands of the same style.[24] These bands and others have introduced the use of synthesizers and keyboard instruments in post-hardcore music. Auto-tuned singing vocals and synthesized screaming vocals are also attributes of this style. Sky Eats Airplane is a post-hardcore group that likewise "incorporates touches of electronica".[25] These "newer hardcore/electronica hybrid bands" often play songs that contain "dancable beats, with some breakdowns splashed in."[26] This style is frequently termed "electronicore".[26]

However, a new wave of bands i a more artistic vein, are trying to revive the interest in a genre lately despised by critics. For this, they appeal to their creativity, taking the positive aspects left by representative bands like At The Drive In, Dance Gavin Dance, Saosin, Brand New and Circa Survive to name a few[27] [28], adding to their music some progressive rock elements, as are the constant changes in the tempo and the highly technical instrumentation. These bands also give privilege to the melodic harmonies over other aspects considered as "cliche" lately in this style of music such as the use of breakdowns in every song and the heavy chugging guitars. As an example of this progressive post-hardcore we can find bands like PMtoday[29] [30], Exit Ten[31] , First Signs of Frost[32], Devil Sold His Soul[33]and The Fall of Troy among others.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Fast'n'Bulbous Reviews'n'Rants 2003 Archive, [1] Access date: June 14, 2008
  2. ^ a b c d e "Post-Hardcore", allmusic.
  3. ^ allmusic
  4. ^ a b c d e f "The 90-Minute Guide - Post-Hardcore", Jeff Terich, Treblezine, April 24, 2007.
  5. ^ Blush, Stephen (November 9, 2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Feral House. ISBN 0922915717.
  6. ^ "The mid-80s were unsatisfying times for rockers. Aside from the handful of seminal releases from The Replacements, Naked Raygun and the post-hardcore stable at SST, pickings were slim." Fast'n'Bulbous Reviews'n'Rants 2003 Archive, [2] Access date: June 14, 2008
  7. ^ a b Blush, Steven. American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Feral House: 2001. p. 222.
  8. ^ "Thursday - Biography" allmusic. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  9. ^ "Thrice - Biography" allmusic. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  10. ^ Heisel, Scott. "FINCH TAKING 'INDEFINITE BREAK' FROM MUSIC " altpress.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  11. ^ "Poison The Well" TimeOff. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  12. ^ "Artist Chart History - Thrice - Albums" Billboard.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  13. ^ "Artist Chart History - Thursday - Albums" Billboard.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  14. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "The Used - Full Biography" mtv.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  15. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Hawthorne Heights - Full Biography" mtv.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  16. ^ Heisel, Scott. "AP Exclusive: Senses Fail and Saosin to Tour US This Winter" altpress.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  17. ^ "From First To Last Biography" NME. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  18. ^ Goforth, Andrea Dawn. "Emery - While Broken Hearts Prevail Review" christianitytoday.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  19. ^ Loftus, Johnny. "Silverstein - Full Biography" mtv.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  20. ^ Adair, David. "Interview with Alexisonfire" AngryApe. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  21. ^ a b "RIAA Gold and Platinum Searchable Database" Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
  22. ^ a b http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jpfoxzqgldse~T1
  23. ^ http://www.bringonmixedreviews.com/?p=5355
  24. ^ http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/albums/index.php?album_id=9795
  25. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:aifyxzl5ld0e~T1
  26. ^ a b I See Stars album review
  27. ^ http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1627792 Absolutepunk Review of In Medias Res
  28. ^ http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/compact_discs/pmtoday/in_medias_res/index.html UG PMtoday Review
  29. ^ "pmtoday In Medias Res". sputnikmusic. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  30. ^ "pmtoday-In Medias Res". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  31. ^ www.myspace.com/exitten Exit Ten Myspace Page
  32. ^ Ryan Tallman. "First Signs Of Frost - Atlantic". Album Review. The NewReview. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
  33. ^ http://www.onemetal.com/2010/07/13/devil-sold-his-soul-blessed-cursed/ One Metal Review Blessed & Cursed Devil Sold His Soul

Bibliography

  • Andersen, Mark and Mark Jenkins (2003). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. Akashic Books. ISBN 1-888451-44-0
  • Azzerad, Michael (2002). Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991. Back Bay Books. ISBN 0-316-78753-1
  • Grubbs, Eric (2008). POST: A Look at the Influence of Post-Hardcore-1985-2007. iUniverse, Inc. ISBN 0-595-51835-4
  • Reynolds, Simon. "The Blasting Concept: Progressive Punk from SST Records to Mission of Burma. Rip It Up and Start Again: Post-punk 1978-84. London: Faber and Faber, Ltd., 2005.
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