Archive for Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Top 10 Best Post-Rock Instrumental Bands: Godspeed, Caspian, Russian Circles, Explosions in the Sky, Mono

Posted in Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , on 09/13/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

With last week’s announcement that Caspian (not to be confused with Far Caspian, who formed 14 years after the much better band mentioned earlier in this sentence) are coming back after a six-year break, it seemed somewhat fitting to remind those of you who aren’t terribly familiar with instrumental post-rock to get educated. Not only is the subgenre all too often overlooked – because the bands feature neither lyrics nor a shamelessly self-promoting frontman to promote them – it’s also a cohort whose music is both ensconcing for picky underground-music enthusiasts but also generally appealing for grandparents, regardless of they wear hearing aids.

With the longest sentence ever written this side of James Joyce’s Ulysses, one note before we begin: Mogwai would’ve topped this list without a second thought had the Glasgoweenies not introduced vocals later into their career. Same goes with Trans Am, The Album Leaf, Battles and Hella. Now that we’re done venting, here’s The Bad Penny‘s list of Best Post-Rock Instrumental Bands, which our recommended album noted in each entry:

1. Godspeed You! Black Emperor‘s Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000)

2. Red SparowesAt the Soundless Dawn (2005)

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On Tyranny: Top 20 Protest/Activist Musicians, From Marvin Gaye to Billie Eilish

Posted in Features, Lists, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , , , on 02/10/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

1. Woody Guthrie

2. Bob Marley

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Ultra-Rare Interview with thisquietarmy Reveals Godspeed’s Major Influence

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 04/11/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

New Noise was met with a breath of fresh air upon catching up with Eric Quach, the man behind the wildly experimental project known as thisquietarmy. In a very rare interview with the guitar-drone and electronic-music wizard, Quarch proves it’s still entirely possible to enjoy a healthy music career without overexposing one’s self on social media.

Meet And Greet: Cougar

Posted in Features, Interviews, Meet And Greet with tags , , , , , , , , , , on 01/03/2010 by Kurt Orzeck

Cougar want to be clear: In choosing their moniker, the last thing the Midwestern instrumentalists wanted was for people to think of older divorcées hunting for young men. Continue reading