Post-Hardcore

As a group we have chosen to make a music video for a post-hardcore band and so it is important for us to become as familiar with our chosen genre as possible;

Post-Hardcore

Post-hardcore is a genre of music that is derived from and has origins in the hardcore punk music genre, itself a branch of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad collection of groups. Many emerged from the hardcore punk scene, or took inspiration from hardcore, while concerning themselves with a wider degree of expression.The genre took shape in the mid-to-late-1980s with releases from bands from cities that had established hardcore punk scenes, in particular from the scenes in Washington, D.C. such as Fugazi as well as slightly different sounding groups such as Big Black and Jawbox that stuck closer to the noise rock roots of post-hardcore.

Characteristics 

Hardcore punk typically features very fast tempos, loud volume, and heavy bass levels, as well as a "do-it-yourself" ethic^”
Music database Allmusic stated "these newer bands, termed post-hardcore, often found complex and dynamic ways of blowing off steam that generally went outside the strict hardcore realm of 'loud fast rules'. Additionally, many of these bands' vocalists were just as likely to deliver their lyrics with a whispered croon as they were a maniacal yelp."Allmusic also claims that post-hardcore bands find creative ways to build and release tension rather than "airing their dirty laundry in short, sharp, frenetic bursts^”
Jeff Terich of Treblezine stated, "Instead of sticking to hardcore's rigid constraints, these artists expanded beyond power chords and gang vocals, incorporating more creative outlets for punk rock energy.”British post-punk of the late 1970s and early 1980s has been seen as influential on the musical development of post-hardcore bands. As the genre progressed some of these groups also experimented with a wide array of influences, including soul, dub, funk,jazz, and dance-punk. It has also been noted that since some post-hardcore bands included members that were rooted in the beginnings of hardcore punk, some of them were able to expand their sound as they became more skilled musicians.

Origins

Ryan Cooper of About.com states that the genre began with "the actual hardcore bands themselves", remarking how as acts like Black Flag "began to bore with the formulaic constraints of hardcore, more experimental sounds began to appear in their music." 

Groups such as Saccharine Trust, Naked Raygun, and The Effigies, which were active around the early 1980s, are considered as forerunners to the post-hardcore genre. Chicago's Naked Raygun, formed in 1981, has been seen as merging post-punk influences of bands such as Wire and Gang of Four with hardcore, while author Steven Blush notes the band's use of "oblique lyrics and stark post-punk melodies".