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Special Others
The term “post rock” is a slippery one, prone to ponderous postulation and pigeonholing. Post-rock seems to state that its practitioners have tired of traditional rock n’ roll tropes and decided to move on, noodling through music without regard for traditional song structures. The Yokohama-based quartet Special Others certainly fit certain criteria to be included in this camp: they’re instrumental; they rarely reach the squealing guitar crescendo of a rock gig; and they jam like a jazz band covering the indie rock catalog. Well, to be honest, they’re constructed more like a jazz band than anything else, with an upright bass and organ playing prominent roles.
I’ve seen Special Others a few times at various events and quite enjoy them. They have a loyal following for sure (listen to the crowd here) The Yokohama four piece have the beards and appearance of a skate metal band or “ironic” emo troupe, but instead play spacious, sprawling numbers heavy on organ, jazz drumming, guitar effects and Wes Montgomery-style picking. They remind me quite a bit of Tortoise, another post-rock stalwart, but don’t quote me on that. These local boys are special in their own way, as well.
