The difference, by ear
Prog shows you the difficulty. Post-rock hides it: the time signature is usually plain 4/4 and all the interest is in dynamics, which is the harder trick to notice.
Progressive rock is sung cleanly where post-rock is mostly instrumental, and a little faster: 60 to 180 bpm against 60 to 140. To hear the difference, play Slint next to King Crimson. Post-rock grew out of progressive rock, 23 years later. United Kingdom appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Post-rock
Where it sits
Rock › Progressive rock › Post-rock
In short
Rock instruments used for texture and crescendo rather than for choruses. The song climbs for ten minutes and detonates once.
How it sounds
- A long crescendo: the piece starts near silence and ends in a wall of sound.
- Guitars with delay and reverb used for texture rather than riffs.
- Almost always instrumental, with pieces running eight to twenty minutes.
Key acts
- Slint
- Mogwai
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor
- Explosions in the Sky
Start here
The pickMogwai - Young Team. The closing track runs sixteen minutes and earns every one.
Full page →Progressive rock
Where it sits
In short
Rock with classical ambitions: odd meters, twenty-minute suites, mellotron. The direct foundation of progressive metal.
How it sounds
- Odd meters - 7/8, 5/4, 13/8 - used routinely rather than as an effect.
- Mellotron, Hammond organ, Moog and later polyphonic synthesizers.
- Long suites, concept albums, sometimes a single piece per side of vinyl.
Key acts
- King Crimson
- Yes
- Genesis
- Rush
Start here
The pickKing Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King. The first track tells you everything.
Full page →