10 Best Instrumental Rock Albums Since 2000

10. Grails - Deep Politics

Without the use of a voice, the onus is on the instrumental band to substitute that omission with equally emotive musical qualities. For sound experimenters Grails, that musical substitute opens up more possibilities rather than limiting them.

They have been pushing the instrumental sound boundaries since 2003 but it was with 2011’s Deep Politics when they really reached a state of musical Zen. Tracks like the evolving spacer ‘All The Colors Of The Dark’ or the oriental soother ‘Corridors Of Power’ are cases in point for this.

The record deserves to be applauded for its sonic diversity alone because it allows each track to capture a very distinct sound. Their unpredictability from song to song shines through on the inventive baroque pop title track or the delicate orchestral beacon ‘Daughters Of Bilitis’, with the highlight of the bunch being the cloud swirling epic ‘Deep Snow’, finishing off an album of eclectic treats.

With Deep Politics, Grails demonstrate a deep love for the musical unknown. Always intriguing and never dull, it stands as one of the most original and authentic instrumental rock albums of the past fifteen years.