[2025] Recommended Instrumental Bands in Western Music: Popular Overseas Bands

FingerElephant Gym

Elephant Gym – Finger | Audiotree Live

Elephant Gym, a band that took flight from Taiwan’s music scene to the world.

Rooted in math rock and jazz fusion, they’re an instrumental trio that has evolved a sound all their own.

Formed in Kaohsiung in 2012, the three-piece continues to captivate listeners with bassist KT Chang’s dynamic playing, alongside the precise rhythm section of her brother, Tell Chang, and drummer Chia-Chin Tu.

They debuted in 2013 with the album “Balance,” earning high praise at the Golden Indie Music Awards.

In 2018, they embarked on a world tour covering 100 shows across 14 countries, and performed at major festivals such as SXSW in the United States.

They have also made their presence felt at festivals across the globe, including Japan’s Fuji Rock.

With complex rhythmic patterns, yet melodies and grooves that are instantly accessible, they open a new door to instrumental music.

StormGodspeed You! Black Emperor

Storm

Godspeed You! Black Emperor, one of the flagship groups of the genre known as post-rock and a national treasure Canada can be proud of, is a large-scale band formed in Montreal in 1994.

Originally started by two members, they expanded by gathering local Montreal musicians, and as of 2022, it seems they have a permanent lineup of ten members, including someone in charge of visuals.

Their basic style adds cello and violin to the orthodox band setup of guitar, bass, and drums, unfolding dark, heavy, and long compositions—often laced with dissonance and noise—in a dramatic fashion.

Each track is structured almost like an orchestral suite, and pieces exceeding 20 minutes are not uncommon, so even those fairly familiar with post-rock may honestly find them challenging to approach.

Even so, despite an anti-commercial stance and a dislike of media exposure, their releases are lauded by many outlets and music fans, thanks to their singular musicality and searing live performances.

Listening to their music is, in itself, a rare musical experience, so I recommend sitting down and engaging with it properly.

A great place to start is their highly acclaimed second album from 2000, Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven.

Lingus (We Like It Here)Snarky Puppy

Snarky Puppy – Lingus (We Like It Here)

When people hear the word “jazz,” they often imagine something lofty, with only the so-called classics getting all the praise.

It’s precisely those with that preconception who I hope will discover the bands that embody the ever-evolving “now” of jazz.

The star of this piece, Snarky Puppy, was formed in 2004 around members who were then college students; they honed their craft in the underground and have since grown into a group that has won Grammy Awards.

From the outset they’ve been a large ensemble of around ten players, and under the leadership of Michael League, their ranks—which include Japanese members—have grown into what could now be called a full-fledged community.

Many of them release solo projects, and their activities are closely watched across the music scene.

Musically, they’re not just “jazz” in the narrow sense: they span funk, fusion, pop, rock, world music, and more.

Their shape-shifting, powerful improvisational ensemble playing has a jam-band quality, yet it remains accessible and pop-friendly rather than difficult or obscure—which is truly fantastic.

They’ve released many records, but a great entry point is Empire Central, their latest at the time of writing, recorded in Dallas, Texas—the band’s former home base—and released in 2022.

Give it a listen and dive into their sound!

Dead Between The WallsPELICAN

Pelican – “Dead Between The Walls” OFFICIAL VIDEO

Alongside Russian Circles, Pelican are pioneers of what’s called post-metal in the American underground scene.

The Chicago band is known for colossal sonics and epic works that often feature dramatic tracks exceeding ten minutes.

While their sound incorporates elements of doom metal and sludge metal within heavy metal, it also shares affinities with post-rock acts like Mogwai and Mono.

At the same time, their music forms a uniquely Pelican-esque world—like a symphony of roaring sound—that has captivated many listeners across genre boundaries.

Formed in 2001, they signed with the legendary label Hydra Head Records—founded by members of Isis, one of the most important bands in the post-metal scene—and released their debut Australasia in 2003.

A Japanese edition was also released, and devoted music listeners were deeply struck by the ferocious guitar thunder and song structures that carried a cinematic narrative quality, as if watching a short film.

Their second album, 2005’s The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw, is personally the Pelican record I’d recommend picking up first.

Its blend of lyricism and sheer volume across seven tracks—said to represent the four seasons of their hometown Chicago—is truly superb.

If you’re not familiar with this kind of music, it might even change your concept of what an instrumental band can be.

They tour Japan regularly, too, so if you enjoy the recordings, be sure to catch their live show, where they deliver an absolutely overwhelming performance!

Mogwai Fear SatanMogwai

Mogwai Fear Satan

Even within the broad label of post-rock, there are many different styles.

For many people, the first image that comes to mind isn’t the Chicago “post-rock” school epitomized by Tortoise, but rather a dramatic musicality that envelops you in walls of roaring guitar, wielding a dynamic interplay of quiet and loud.

The band that shocked the world with that kind of roaring guitar instrumental sound is Scotland’s Mogwai.

Their appearance at Fuji Rock in 2022—returning to the Red Marquee stage for the first time in 22 years and captivating the audience with a fantastic live performance—is still fresh in our memories.

Mogwai formed in 1995 as a very young band that included members still in their teens, debuting with singles on their own label.

They then signed with the local Glasgow label Chemical Underground, and in 1997 made their full-fledged debut with the explosive first album Mogwai Young Team.

Fusing an aggressive sound rooted in hardcore with startlingly beautiful melodies and ear-splitting guitar noise, they overwhelmed not only music fans but many musicians as well.

Having established one archetypal post-rock style, they didn’t remain bound to any single genre thereafter.

While experimenting with approaches that toned down their trademark roaring guitars or incorporated vocals, they never lost the core of the band and continue to hold a singular, solitary position to this day.

Personally, I recommend starting with the early releases and listening in order of release!

acid rainLiquid Tension EXPERIMENT

Liquid Tension Experiment – Acid Rain Live In L.A. 2008

Liquid Tension Experiment is a supergroup of virtuoso players formed around members of Dream Theater—the pinnacle of progressive metal—namely drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci.

The lineup also includes bassist Tony Levin, known for his work with King Crimson, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess, who would later join Dream Theater.

It’s an instrumental group that lets you revel in a star-studded collaboration by top-tier musicians in the scene.

In recent years, they pulled off a surprising reunion and, in 2021, released their long-awaited comeback album, Liquid Tension Experiment 3.

As you’d expect, their musical style is rooted in genres like heavy metal, prog, and fusion, yet their songs let you enjoy both improvisation underpinned by exceptional technique and masterful songwriting.

They’re a must-listen not only for Dream Theater fans but for anyone curious about this kind of music.

And of course, if you want to revel in the dazzling performances of world-class players, this is essential listening!

GnosisRussian Circles

Russian Circles – “Gnosis” (Official Video)

Just as rock has post-rock and punk has post-punk, metal also has a genre known as post-metal.

It’s more underground than the former two, but the world of post-metal—combining elements of heavy metal with genres like post-rock and shoegaze—is deep and richly layered, and here in Japan it boasts many devoted fans.

Among the artists labeled post-metal, Russian Circles stand out as pioneering and singular, maintaining a solitary presence since their formation in 2004.

The original members are childhood friends Mike Sullivan and Dave Turncrantz, and starting with the acclaimed 2008 album Station, bassist Brian Cook—who was active in influential bands within the American underground scene such as Botch—joined the group.

Since then, they’ve continued as an unshakeable trio, working energetically into the 2020s.

What they craft is a sonic world where heaviness and delicacy intermingle, woven by a band ensemble that pairs a guitar sound defined by heavy, roaring textures with a rhythm section that can freely shift gears to create dynamics of stillness and motion.

Their song structures, in which beauty and gloom meld into a dramatic surge, aren’t exactly easy listening, but once you fall under their spell, I guarantee you’ll find it hard to escape.

Experience the austere aesthetics of roaring sound that resound across the underground scene for yourself.