I’m not a religious guy. But, I grew up a practicing Presbyterian, and many of the stories of the bible are just there in my head. That, and Jesus Christ Superstar (the Original London Cast Recording with Ian Gillan from Deep Purple, btw, NOT Ted Neely’s Jesus — he’s good, but not like Ian Gillan) has been a nearly annual soundtrack since I was a kid, even into my married life.
So… I was recently revisiting Mogwai’s music — Yes, my friends, both Mogwai and the Presbyterian church are Scottish! And so is Cock-a-Leekie! And Haggis! But Scottish Eggs, alas, are not Scottish. They’re English. — and I started listening to the Special Moves live album — which seems to be primarily only available on Bandcamp, by the way — and the song Like Herod grabbed me. The track starts quietly, and then at just under 4 minutes in it gets a little raucous, then it has some quiet again that battles back and forth with the raucous, until with about a minute left, it descends into a mic-drop of noise. Like, you know, FREAKIN’ AWESOME!
And. I was struck by the images that popped in my head as it was playing. I felt like I could see Pontius Pilate arguing with Jesus after King Herod sent him back, and then washing his hands at the last minute in a giant temper tantrum, followed by…. you know, sending him off to be crucified, just like Andrew Lloyd Weber told it back in 1970. So, not like Herod. More like Pontius Pilate. And nothing like any of this. No JC Superstar. No biblical stories. Just visuals popping into my head as I listened to a kick-ass live track from Mogwai.
And so, I bring to you a list of post-rock / instrumental rock / experimental rock / grand soundtrack rock tunes for your listening pleasure.
By the way, Godspeed You! Black Emperor is still not streaming on Apple, Spotify, or Qobuz, so if you want the full joy of the list, you’re going to have visit them on Bandcamp, which I highly recommend. All of the bands on this list are great post-rock bands, but, seriously, Godspeed You! Black Emperor deserves special mention, mostly because you can’t listen to them unless you really, really want to. And you should really, really, really want to.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll find my way back to church someday?
SIDE NOTE: Given that I was recently in Scotland, and given my Scottish and Presbyterian heritage, I took special note of John Knox’s resting place (he is basically the founding father of the Presbyterian Church). He is buried right outside St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh in Parking Spot 23.
The story is that the graveyard got too full of bodies, and it started to stink. So, they moved all the bodies but his. And, like any proper Scottish pragmatist, they put a parking lot there, and now he’s in parking spot 23. You’ve got to zoom in on the picture, but you can see his name on the plaque!
Track List
Mogwai – Like Herod
Mogwai – Glasgow Mega Snake
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Babys in a Thundercloud
God is an Astronaut – Forever Lost
Explosions In The Sky – First Breath After Coma
This Will Destroy You – The World Is Our ___
Caspian – 127 North
> DEATZ BEATS 
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