Keyword artist , or band/group name. I’m not looking for a genre, I want to search artists. Tell me about someone you like listening to.
Would appreciate if it’s Not symphonic/orchestral movie/videogame OST. I know there is a lot of really good music in this category but I’m trying to avoid recommendations like Hans Zimmerman or Jeremy Soule or Enya etc., since they are either really well known or fall into the orchestral and/or “epic music score” I’m not looking for.
It’s OK if some tracks have vocals or even some lyrics/voice samples but I prefer to keep them at a minimum.
Any suggestions? TIA
I don’t think all these are contemporary but as someone who loves post rock and instrumental music here are some artists that make it into my playlist pretty regularly. Hope this is helpful! The ones near the top I probably listen to more regularly right now but it tends to rotate.
- Sleepmakeswaves
- We Lost the Sea
- Explosions in the Sky
- Codes in the Clouds
- Ef
- Russian Circles
- Collapse Under the Empire
- Mogwai
- Secret Gardens
- Red Sparowes
- Moonlit Sailor
- Maybeshewill
- 65daysofstatic
- Caspian
- Sleep Dealer
- If These Trees Could Talk
- Balmorhea
- God is an Astronaut
- The Evpatoria Report
- Sigur Ros
- False Horizon
- This Will Destroy You
- pg.lost
- There’s A Light
- Oh Hiroshima
- Tides from Nebula
EDIT: got around to checking my library and have a few more.
- Distant Dream
- Saor
- Those Who Ride With Giants
- For Giants
- U1327
- The Best Pessimist
- Saxon Shore
- Dorena
- The End of the Ocean
- Random Forest
- Joy Wants Eternity
- Paint the Sky Red
- Eldamar
- we.own.the.sky
- Eleventh Vibration
- Shadow of Io
- Jake Eves
- The Last Sighs of the Wind
In hindsight I don’t know if a giant list is the most useful thing but it’s here if you want it.
This is quite a list, you have good taste.
Saving your list. I really like Oh Hiroshima. “Drone” is on my steady rotation.
Thank you! I like some post rock, I know some of these and some not, I’ll be checking them out. Cheers!
Godspeed you! Black Emperor
Edit: I’m not old, but old enough that I only really remember their first round of albums. No idea what the newer ones are like, sadly. Just never got around to listening.
Polyphia is great as was already suggested. If you want to go heavier, try Animals as Leaders. If you want to go jazzier, try Snarky Puppy.
I’ve heard of polyphia but never listened to them. The fact you recommended them next to Snarky Puppy was what got me to look them up, and WOW!
LORN
I second lorn
Aphex Twin & Godspeed You! Black Emperor
I’ve seen Goodspeed You recommended a few times here but not Aphex Twin. I didn’t know either. I think GY!BE is good, but not for me. Aphex Twin though, that’s right up my alley. Thanks for the recommendations!
There’s a mashup I didn’t know I wanted.
Polyphia, Casiopea (Mint Jams album)
Some metal and metal-adjacent instrumental bands I listen to a lot:
- Sunn O)))
- Russian Circles
- Pelican
- Lethe
- Explosions in the Sky
This guy knows what he’s taking about.
That Lethe album was the biggest surprise of last year, what an amazing debut
The following can be classed as instrumental, post-rock or post-metal:
- Russian Circles
- Caspian
- ISIS (the band)
- Sigur Ros
- Mogwai
- God Speed You! Black Emperor
- Blanket
- Vaudlow
I went on about post rock in a different comment and I’m kicking myself for forgetting about gybe. Thank you.
Polyphia
Came here to suggest this.
That’s a good suggestion. Thanks!
I’m a metal head, so these will be in a similar vein, though there is techno and more relaxed stuff at the end. Might add links if I remember later:
Chon, Animals as leaders, Polyphia, Plini, Syncatto, Intervals, Meganeko, Broke For Free
A few I can think of while going through my music library:
- Ochre
- Makeup And Vanity Set
- Blanck Mass
- Carpenter Brut
- Danger
- Magic Sword
- Ratatat
- MASTER BOOT RECORD
Their capitalization, not mine :)
Some are relaxing and others are loud and fast.
Post rock post rock post rock post rock
Explosions in the Sky
Mogwai
Sigur Ros
The Album Leaf
This Will Destroy You
try these on for size and see if the genre takes you like it took me. I tried to include some stuff that is more traditional rock in form and instrumentation and some that is a bit more experimental in that regard.
God is an astronaut
If these trees could talk
Maybeshewill
Collapse under the empire
Long distance calling
Russian circles
Damn I am digging these ones! The only I don’t from this list is Maybeshewill. I think I liked Long Distance Calling and God is an Astronaut the most. Thanks for the suggestions :)
GiaA are fantastic live. If you ever get a chance to listen to them, don’t hesitate. My favourite concert experience ever
Hello! Thanks for the recommendations. These are nice and I’ve seen others suggesting them as well. I appreciate the diversity in style too.
Out of these, Explosions in The Sky has made it to my playlist. I can’t say I dislike the others but they also don’t hook me when I listen. Not my vibe I guess?
So far out of the recommended postrock over this thread I’ve really liked Plini. I still got a lot of recommendations to check out though…
Wild, I would’ve expected Mogwai to hit a little closer because they have a bit more of a radio friendly structure and you said you wantwd to keep away from more orchestral stuff.
Still, glad you dig it and thanks for creating a great thread. This is the first lemmy thread I saved
Herbie Hancock, Snarky Puppy
+1 for Snarky Puppy. Saw them live a few months back and they’re incredible. Somehow they still had the audience singing along, even without lyrics.
I listen to Ghost Data and Porter Robinson lots. Both are electronic music, but I like them more than Zedd or Madeon because they sound more unique.
Ghost Data’s chord progressions are unique but repetitive (I don’t know many other artists that have a chord progression or vocal idea like that of “Queen of Knives”, so it’s unique, but the main chord progression of “Queen of Knives” doesn’t change all that much throughout the song, so it’s repetitive). I like that there’s sonic variety while exploring singular ideas fully, like how the main melody of “Thy Flesh Undone” repeats through different instrumentations.
Porter Robinson stuff is pretty great because it sounds more emotional than most EDM I hear. It can sometimes have words, sometimes not. The Worlds album is more of an ambient and emotional/inspiring twist on EDM; specifically I’m thinking of “Goodbye to a World” and “Lionhearted” as uniquely happy songs.
I give an honorary mention to “Antirrhinum” by MALO because its rhythms are pretty cool and confused me a lot at first. It was entertaining trying to figure them out.
Apocalyptica. Metal on the cello. They sometimes have s guest vocalist. I like their self-titled album.
Phamie Gow. Pianist and harpist. Maybe too orchestral. I turn to the Beyond the Milky Way album oftenwhen working out studying.
Mary Lattimore. Experimental harpist. I’ve been enjoying her latest album, West Kensington, with guitarist Paul Sukeena.
Kelly Moran. Experimental pianist Can’t recommend her album Ultraviolet enough.
Burial. For some chilled, glitchy dubstep.
The Comet is Coming. For some psych jazz.
Moderat. For some house electronica.
Uboa. For some droney, noisy, doomy metal.
George Clanton. For some synthpop vapourwave. His latest album is great.
Omg after all those years… 35 seconds into a new error and my brain thinks I took MDMA and starts to make funny stuff to my mind and body 🥹🥴
If you like Apocolyptica, may I suggest checking out Judgement Day? It’s another string metal group.









