The future of music is uncertain. I mean, in a business aspect. I mean, as stated by Thom Yorke, it's dying. This can mean one of two things...
i) Corporate music grows. The media's favorite, "darling" bands are going to be the focus as that's where the money is. Independent labels will fade, or, to some extent, have their operations altered to better suit the market. This ominous, and very possible future is looming and could mean the death of the constantly touring, perpetually promoting indie bands. However, the alternate is much more appeasing...
ii) Since there is little money to be made in music as a smaller band, only those with integrity and desire to express themselves will get involved in music. That means that you will listen to a new band and they will resonate with a passion that drove them towards a bohemian definition of success. There is this fallacious understanding that only bands that can be profited on succeed, but now there will be this drive to make music for making music and it will be supplemental to their other jobs. Money won't be an issue. Shows will be for fun, and the spectacle will benefit from such an instance. But where will theatrical, conceptual music belong? Where will post rock belong? The thing is, in both instances, it seems to be in an intermediate gray zone...
Post rock doesn't instigate a rabid fan base. The personality in post rock is lacking and for any post rock band to succeed to some extent, it has been on quality and dedication from a loyal group of fans. In the former scenario, it is easy to see how they will fade and dissipate. But in the latter, could they succeed? Rather, could they benefit? But as stated earlier, can it really inspire dedication from its fans? To state it simply, post rock is defined by a few major players. Let's use two examples to break down such a prospect.
Explosions in the Sky have a cinematic sound. There are sordid soliloquies, climatic crescendos, collapsing conclusions... Everything about them defines how post rock, when done correctly, can move and inspire. Example? Your Hand in Mine. The song itself has an emotion and feeling related to it. In it, one realizes that Your Hand in Mine, though it could be capturing a present moment, is better thought as a recollection, a past event, a memory. Even better yet, it is the concluding song on The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place, so that feeling of closure is present. This is the band that could survive in the latter scenario. Their sound reflects their attitude towards music and the band itself is a statement of emotion...
But what of a band like Codes in the Clouds? Those post rock bands that are in success purgatory... These bands will probably dissipate in this latter scenario as, and it was hinted before, outreach and relation would be important to guarantee any kind of progression in the dying industry. Their sound is lacking in that very finite quality that will prevent them from surviving the degeneration. The complexity is simply lacking, but they still fall too far from accessibility. Their artistry simply won't be enough to last...
The fate of genre is based on some possibilities, but a few likely probabilities as well. One can simply assume that, like genres that have faded in the past, its two decade run will lose its momentum. Fortunately, we can take solace in knowing that every genre is accessible to some extent, just post rock will need new innovations, if you will, that may separate it from what we know. Of course, one must first define the essential qualities of the genre to really determine what's next, but those slow bands like This is Your Captain Speaking may be left behind whereas those bands blending sounds, e.g This Will Destroy You with electronic layers, may survive. It just seems like in each situation, it's a genre that will likely degenerate or be forced to change to some extent...
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