Archive for This Will Destroy You

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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Treefort 2017: The Ultimate, Gorilla-Size Review

Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags , , , , , on 04/12/2017 by Kurt Orzeck

Treefort 2017 delivered Deafheaven, Mac DeMarco, Grouper, Doug Marsch — and set a gorilla on the loose.

Check out my exhaustive concert review of Boise’s five-day indie-rock festival, Treefort — starring Deafheaven, Grouper, This Will Destroy You, Doug Martsch, Magic Sword and more — on Drowned in Sound.

The Violent Sleep Of Reason Episode 1, 3.22.17

Posted in The Violent Sleep of Reason with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 04/02/2017 by Kurt Orzeck

Meshuggah’s “The Violent Sleep of Reason”

The premiere episode of The Bad Penny’s “The Violent Sleep of Reason” radio show featured the song after which the show was named, as well as new cuts by King of Asgard, Woe and Dodecahedron.

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