Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Godspeed You Black Emperor! > Reviews > Godammit they're good (OK, so that's tacky)

Author's product rating:   

Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency of tracks
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Value for Money

Advantages:	Beautifully crafted music that can challenge and move
Disadvantages:	sometimes they lose themselves

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Godspeed You! Black Emperor, hailing from Montreal, are a curious band; brilliant and bland by turns. This may sound an odd statement but I find it’s true. Yanqui UXO is brilliant. I mean from the first moment brilliant. The whole album, consisting of 3 mammoth tracks, are just sublime. The album is a work of genius; I’m not kidding. Every note, every inflection and sound is taut with emotion. Though the tracks last 20 minutes (approx) apiece they’re flawless, magnificent pieces of music. I’ve sat at my desk at work while listening to this and wanted to cry so much that I was amazed that I didn’t. It’s stunningly powerful and almost unbearable emotive.

Have a got my point across?

Well, what is Godspeed You! Black Emperor (you’ll note that they is considerable disagreement about where the exclamation mark should go) musically? It’s odd because there is a core band that is surrounded by other musicians who seem to come and go. They sound almost orchestral and yet are nothing to do with classical. The band themselves equate themselves to punk rockers which the music most certainly isn’t. It’s somewhere between rock, progressive instrumental, ambient and… and what? This is the thing about Godspeed, they appear almost entirely original. Some people equate them with Mogwai and I can see the connection. But they are their own band and they make their own music.

But to return to the beginning: they can also be a remarkably self-indulgent band. Infinity is not the greatest of their albums because, well, it just doesn’t go anywhere. Let me digress here a moment. There is a simple pattern to almost all Godspeed tracks (regardless of their use of spoken word – notice not singing) which is this: Slow build up, the music so quiet it’s barely audible. It builds and it builds and it builds and it builds and it builds and it builds and it builds and it builds and it builds and it builds till the most amazing, crashing, (often) beautiful crescendo. Then it slowly winds down, returning slowly to its quiet beginning. It may sound boring, but when done right it’s stunning, awe-inspiring, beautiful, luxurious…

Of course, as I said it was with Infinity, it does not always work. Sometimes it appears that they can’t get their energy going. But I think that Infinity is a blip. Their double CD Lift Yer Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven is pretty heavenly itself; constituting 90 minutes of great music (though quite as good Yanqui UXO).

There only other album was always a bit of a mystery to me – not because it was bad – but because I never found myself listening to it. Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada rarely goes into my CD player. WHY? I have no idea, it’s better than Skinny Fists because though an early EP it has the energy, the thrust and the excitement of Yanqui UXO. It’s Godspeed at their punishing, pulsating, intelligent best. For it is intelligent music for intelligent people looking to challenge themselves. This is not generic music made by morons. This is at best exceedingly clever and deeply emotional.

Frankly it’s a must for Rock fans, for fans of progressive, for instrumental jazz, for ambient, for well, anyone who willing to give the time to listen (what’ve you got to lose, twenty minutes?). It’s the type of band you rarely see.

By way of a postscript, Godspeed is interesting because they also diversify. The band has a number of side projects that are ran by different member of the band. Each has their own distinct sound, none of which try and sound like Godspeed though most eschew conventional vocals. What there is though is an overall aesthetic. I’ve found myself reviewing films/book/music recently and using this term a lot. Because I find great artistry has an aesthetic. Here Godspeed and their sub-bands (Do Make Say Think; Broken Social Scene; Fly Pan Am [and a million more]) have an aesthetic. Which is entirely different from saying that they have a ‘sound.’ I feel there is a sense of philosophy behind what they do which is not meant to sound pompous though I can understand how it might. It simply is how it is. The music exists for a purpose for the musicians far more than for the listener -which is saying something.

Really Godspeed just (and usually I hate this term and would never use it) rock.

PS – if you like Godspeed try Explosions in the Sky – they’re just as good, similar but shorter. Their music is absolutely beautiful. Though they’re from Texas not Canada like Godspeed. But you’d never know it!