Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!

GY!BE wittingly uses constant drone in this album, making melodies scarce and valuable. You will be always looking forward to next melody.

For me, this is the aural equivalent of staring into a bonfire.

There is something about how this unfolds that remind me of the grand symphonies of Wagner or Beethoven. I can really lose myself in this music.

The storm is coming. It’s Monday, October 29th, and hurricane Sandy is scheduled to land on the shores of New York City in just a couple of hours. The governor has declared a state of emergency. The stock market has shut down. Even the presidential election has been put on hold. There’s something inevitable about Sandy’s approach. There’s nowhere to run. There’s not much to do. We just have to wait it out. It’s ten o’clock in the morning, but the sky is dark as night. I shut off the lights and roll up the window blinds. I open the windows, and let the wind do its dance through my home. I can smell the electricity in every tiny particle that enters my room. And all I need now is some music. There’s nothing more apocalyptic than the sound of Godspeed. The Montreal based band has been credited with influencing the so-called post-rock music genre since their debut, titled F♯ A♯ ∞ (1997). Named after a documentary on Japanese biker gang, The Black Emperors (1976), Godspeed You! Black Emperor (which is commonly abbreviated as GY!BE) has put out numerous records on the Canadian Constellation imprint, home to many shoegaze, instrumental rock, and post-rock bands such as Esmerine, Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Lullabye Arkestra and Do Make Say Think. The albums have also been reprinted by the Chicago based Kranky label, which exposed the band to a larger audience and gained them somewhat of a cult following among the experimental, ambient, and indie scenes. It’s hard to describe the sound of Godspeed. Like an unstoppable moving storm, ready to consume and destroy everything in its path, the music of Godspeed is all about the dynamics. These build ups, inevitable from the very first note, first lurk behind the curtains and then explode onto the stage. This final appearance is raw, heavy, and mighty. The cinematic progression behind each track can take up to twenty minutes to unfold. And in those twenty minutes your mind may wonder and drift with the wailing melody until its jarred back into the presence with a volatile and unstable weather. No need to turn up the volume – the crescendos will come. No need to board up your windows – the glass still will shatter. But with destruction comes hope, credence and peace. No wonder the album is titled, ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! "our cities’ grace and pain a stinkin’ wind – a plague of policemen and our dreams, alit, sinking in the harbour thee onlookers stare. ‘allelujah! don’t bend! ascend!" After a ten year hiatus, it’s great to see Godspeed return. The band still maintains its dark humor (the spine of the record is credited to “God’s Pee”) and political message (the focus is now war criminals and Quebec student protests). This long awaited comeback may signify a point of reflection on the evolution of social landscape and independent music culture. “Godspeed’s music will do that to you. It is music that bears witness to, channels and transforms this predominantly terrible, infuriating, venal and nihilistically sad story we’re all living, sharing, resisting, protesting, deconstructing and trying to change for the better.” And since it’s really hard to describe the sound of Godspeed, I only wish to share one final phrase: Godspeed’s music makes you feel! And that’s a transmission of message through sound.

The something special about the kind of music that collective of musicians known GY!BE makes. In an decade of mass produced pre-packed spectacle driven style over substance vocally harmonized electronically manipulated "music", Godspeed has created a unique space in the contemporary musical landscape that is becoming exceedingly rare. In short, Godspeed reintroduces the music back into music. The mixture of the classic and the orchestral with the modern and the cinematic creates an inter-textual musical space, one that is as complex and as it is minimal. With that being said, there is a minor problem here. If you happen to be an OCD kind of fan and have collected as much music by this band as you could (which is the category I fall into), there is nothing really new on this album. The first recording I have of "Mladic" is 2003, which up until now has been known as "Albanian." The same goes for "We Drift Like Worried Fire," which also dates back to 2003 and was known as "Gamelan." If you happen to have been at any of the recent live shows or have heard these songs in the past, "Mladic" and "We Drift Like Worried Fire" are two of the best songs that the band plays live. I had hoped that when the band announced they were going to reassemble that they would go into the studio and record these songs, but I also hoped they would record some new material as well. Ultimately, this is only a minor complaint and only pertains to a certain kind of fan. For everyone else, the fifty plus minutes of music will be like the return of a friend that you thought you might never hear from again. Although, this is not entirely true, as the twenty or so side projects the members of Godspeed participate in have been making music consistently over the past ten years. The other two songs, "Their Helicopters Sing" and "Strung Like Lights…" foreground the bands forays into drone and segments of each have made their way into the "Hope Drone" intros to the band's live shows. My only really criticism of this album is the song order. Godspeed often drones into their more fully developed musical movements. On this album that trend is reversed and the drones follow rather than lead into the more fully developed songs. I find this approach to be a little less effective., as it can undercut the evocotiveness and tension of the music. Try listening to "Their Helicopters…" then "Mlodic," and I think you'll see what I mean. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy.

No this is not a Skinny Fists tier 80 minute beautiful symphonic perfection, but it's still good. I think of it as them saying "sup we're back and we just wanted to let everyone know we're back with this little release as we work on bigger things", because aside from the shorter drone tracks the other two are older songs they played live (doesn't mean much though). plus they have been playing a song entitled "The Behemoth" which itself is almost as long as this entire album. I'm ecstatic to know one of my favorite bands is back! also bad reviews are from fans of The Killers and American Idol viewers. smh

I'm so excited to have one of my favorites recording again ... I understand the "band" is not a band but a collective of hopefully likeminded musicians. I do not understand the reviews claiming this album is their best yet. It merely feels like a warmup to me. Hopefully a warmup to much more. This album strives for what? Maybe the epic sound Godspeed used to to build up to, it comes very close but lacks something. Godspeed used to add layers upon layers onto their tracks, using samples from street preachers, grocery store announcements, etc. and it worked very well on a fundamental level. Godspeeds albums were never albums proper and this is no exception. I am just happy to have them back, I love this music so much.

If you dislike Godspeed it is very likely you have not listened to their albums in their entirety. It is a daunting task to do so but a task that has tremendous payoff. These guys don't just make music, they tell a story. Lyrics are not required only your imagination. This album can be overwhelming at times but the climax leaves you satisfied and in a strange way, changed. It's emotional, powerful, thrilling, uplifting and terrifying. But you can't hit the skip button or you skip what Godspeed are all about. Find a quiet space, put some headphones on, give yourself a good hour and enjoy the ride. You'll be glad you did.

And the gods return!!!

While I agree with the one reviewer who noted Lustmord and Sunn O))) putting quality music out consistently (and you really should check them out - there fantastic), this album proves a return to form as such. GY!BE suffered with the release of there last album. Sorry, not even Steve Albini could save that one. They just sounded...tired on Yanqui. I also completely understand some people talking about the overhype and over-genius of this band. I still say the music speaks for itself and for me personally it resonates. And at the end of it all that is usually at the top of the list for most music fans. Keeping old elements of their earlier albums, while drifting into more uncharted regions, the hiatus they took proved to be good for them. They sound rejuvenated. Which could mean a reawakening of finding untapped ideas.