Fearless: The Making Of Post-Rock

Jeanette Leech JAWBONE. £14.95

Valiant mapping of rock’s further reaches.

Post-rock – as a concept, as a genre, certainly as a means of making a living – was, says author Jeanette Leech, “a curse. Friendships were ruined, mental health was compromised, and [her emphasis] absolutely no money was made.” Her comprehensive tome documents all this juicy soap opera via exhaustive research and new interviews with luminaries of the scene, but also argues that all this emotional bloodshed has been worth it. Leech’s definition of post-rock is commendably free and wideranging, tracing a path from the Velvets, Red Krayola and Can, through AR Kane, MBV and Slint, to Tortoise, Mogwai and Godspeed, but is strongest when exploring minor gems like UK leftfielders Insides and Bark Psychosis, and lesser-known Louisville luminaries Rachel’s and Rex. For a book that quotes Jacques Derrida by page 7, Leech makes the theory behind difficult music easy to grasp. You’ll thrill to the stories; you’ll want to buy a lot of records.