Instrumental Rock: A Quick Dip
Far be it from me to ever call words overkill, but instrumental music has captured my heart and ears during these cold, cold months. I’ve always dipped my toes in various, usually pretty specific music genres, but you can bet nearly all of them have included the word rock. You probably won’t catch me two-stepping anytime soon, but hey, four years ago, I would have never been listening to Graveyard in a tattoo shop.
About two years ago is when I started to listen to rock that was a little bit harder. My first time holding hands with metal landed me at the feet of Russian Circles, and then, a whole slew of post-rock instrumental groups followed. Caspian and This Will Destroy You have been two of my latest favorites. Why? They clear my head—a truly rare feat.
I’ve had friends tell me to turn off “anything without lyrics because it’s boring.” Fair enough. Introspective rock ballads make a poor soundtrack for road trips to Vegas. I guess what I appreciate most about instrumental music is the nuance, the potential of at least partially blank space on a song’s canvas. Something about it seems vastly applicable to more scenarios than something with punching lyrics.
If you have the patience, and sort of want to feel like something exciting is about to happen in your life’s little movie, listen to “Hymn For The Greatest Generation ” by Caspian. Depending on how your day is going, it could be the most important part.
