Instrumental Rock to Write To?

April 11, 2012 7:41 PM

I'm looking for album or track suggestions along the lines of Doves' Instrumentals of Rust or their track Firesuite. Special snowflake details inside.

I'm interested in any instrumental rock albums that contain elements of dance rock, though not necessarily the disco-style hi-hat work or basslines that a lot of that genre contains. Ideally focusing more on the overall sound and beat than on strong melodies; please, no Explosions in the Sky style epic buildups with intertwining guitars playing melodies. That just ends up distracting me or getting on my nerves. Box-set instrumental versions of classic albums are okay too; basically, I'm looking for what a full-mix of a "normal" rock album might sound like if the vocals were left out and not replaced with instruments carrying a melody.

posted by Benjy to media & arts (5 answers total)

Have you thought about math rock? There are a lot of different sounds in that genre, and I don't know what you classify as a "melody." For what it's worth, though, I find myself frequently writing to, and never humming along with, Don Cab and Dianogah. Both bands are all about rhythm.
posted by electric_counterpoint at 8:53 PM on April 11, 2012

From the glory days of 4AD - Dif Juz
posted by davebush at 9:12 PM on April 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

Tortoise?
posted by Grangousier at 12:48 AM on April 12, 2012

Maybe some Trans Am - quite a few of their songs have no vocals.

Kinda seconding Don Caballero, although personally I find their stuff so rhythmically & harmonically fascinating that I can't not listen.

Maybe too "explosions in the sky" for you, but Red Sparowes is another possibility.

Some of Robert Fripp's work, maybe?

English is the only language I speak, and I often find that if the vocals are in another language I tend to consider them "another instrument" rather than "lead singer", if you see what I mean. I first noticed this with Kraftwerk tracks sung in German. Another personal example is Vieux Farka Toure.

Heading into "classical" music, maybe some Glenn Branca or some of the minimalist composers like Steve Reich, Terry Riley or Philip Glass.
posted by soundguy99 at 8:14 AM on April 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Pell Mell.
posted by dfan at 8:41 AM on April 12, 2012