Apparently Canadian collective Godspeed have at some point in their history changed the position of the exclamation mark in their name. So this means they have now become Godspeed! You Black Emperor instead of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, or the other way round. Just imagine the band meeting where this was decided but frankly I doubt anyone really cares.
I first became aware of GYBE when Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven came out in 2000. From memory (as I haven't played the entire set for a long time) and reputation, I recall it was a pretty decent record and at the time quite groundbreaking.
I don't think there is much groundbreaking about their brand of epic bombastic post-rock instrumental music any more. The formulaic slow / fast / quiet / loud repertoire is similarly replicated by the likes of Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai (as confirmed by the music map below). Each song builds gradually towards a predictable conclusion where everyone just plays louder and faster. The musicianship is pretty basic and sounds like a bunch of students jamming in a garage. The lack of lyrics I also think is very self-limiting.
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| GYBE in action |
This album was the follow up to "Lift Your Skinny Fists" and translates into something to do with Yankee Unexploded Bombs - I expect heavily influenced by 9/11 and the subsequent launch of the war on terror. The cover is pretty cool.
A few years ago I saw GYBE in London (at the Troxy). Expecting some sort of revelation I was disappointed by an uninspiring performance with zero audience engagement and a backdrop of irrelevant projections.
Less ether more real please
Unsurprisingly I have also fallen out of love with the somewhat similarly sounding Sigur Ros. Their brand of dense ethereal prog sounds a bit dated now and leaves me slightly cold and frustrated which is a shame as I'm sure I really liked their acclaimed Agaetis Byrjun album when it first came out in 1999.
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| SR in action |
Part of the frustration for me lies in the ghostly incomprehensible singing. The lyrics are apparently in their native Icelandic which is fair enough but it is more the style of singing which I think would make the singing incomprehensible in any language. The meaning of the title is A Good Beginning.
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1. Neil Young - On The Beach
2. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Yanqui UXO
3. Feist - The Reminder
4. Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
5. Chemical Brothers - Come With Us
6. The Incredible String Band - The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
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