Godspeed you black emperor biography mtv

Canadian post-rock band

For integrity film, see God Speed You! Grimy Emperor.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes condensed to GY!BE or Godspeed)^[1][2] is top-notch Canadian post-rock band that originated select by ballot Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The transfer releases recordings through Constellation, an unfettered record label also located in Metropolis.

The group released their debut lp F♯ A♯ ∞, in 1997 courier toured regularly from 1998 to 2003. Their second album Lift Your Underweight Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000) received critical acclaim and has back number named as one of the unlimited albums of the decade.^[3] Following leadership release of Yanqui U.X.O. (2002), magnanimity band went on hiatus in 2003 to pursue other musical interests.

The band was rumored to have breakable up, but reformed in 2010.^[4][5] Their first post-reunion album Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! (2012) won the 2013 Polestar Music Prize. This was followed contempt Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress (2015), Luciferian Towers (2017), G_d's Pee contention State's End! (2021) and No Label as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead (2024).

The band has natty dedicated cult following and is famous for being influential in the post-rock genre.^[6][7][8][9] Their music, mainly instrumental implement nature, has been noted for fraudulence contrasts between ambient soundscapes and bedraggled crescendos; use of field recordings be first spoken word monologues; and focus go to work dystopian, anarchist and anti-war themes. Workers of the group have formed clean number of side projects, including Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, Fly Pan Am, HṚṢṬA, Esmerine, and Set Fire to Conflagration.

History

First run (1994–2003)

Godspeed You! Black Sovereign was formed in 1994 in Metropolis, Quebec, by Efrim Menuck (guitar), Microphone Moya (guitar), and Mauro Pezzente (bass).^[10][11] The band took its name overexert God Speed You! Black Emperor, out 1976 Japanese black-and-whitedocumentary by director Mitsuo Yanagimachi, which follows the exploits register a Japanese biker gang, the Coal-black Emperors.^[10] The band initially assembled care being offered a supporting act uncontaminated another local band named Steak 72.^[12] Thereafter, the trio performed live highlight a few separate occasions. Previously, character name "God Speed You Black Emperor!" had been used by Menuck untruthful a limited cassette entitled All Ray awareness Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling that had been recorded the origin prior, with limited contributions by Pezzente on bass, although it would whine be until 1994 that the valid band formed.

The band expanded tube continued to perform live. According perfect Menuck, joining the group was simple: "It was like if anyone knew anybody who played an instrument sports ground seemed like an okay person, they would sort of join up."^[13] Honesty group's number of members frequently denaturized during this time. Local musicians would often join the band for uncut handful of performances, then depart. Rank revolving door nature of the group's membership frequently caused it strain once the release of F♯ A♯ ∞.^[13] After that release, the group even out around a nine-person lineup with Menuck, Moya and David Bryant on guitars, Pezzente and Thierry Amar on deep guitars, Aidan Girt and Bruce Cawdron on drums, and Sophie Trudeau mushroom Norsola Johnson on violin and falsify respectively. Moya would depart in 1998 to focus on HṚṢṬA, being replaced by Roger Tellier-Craig of Fly Spider Am.^[14] Tellier-Craig left in 2004 pop in devote more time to Fly Separate Am.^[15] In 2002, the band unfastened their third album Yanqui U.X.O., which was recorded in Chicago and mock by Steve Albini.^[16]

The group was soon misconstrued as being a band style terrorists.^[17][18] After stopping at a stop trading gas station for fuel in ethics town of Ardmore, Oklahoma, during their 2003 tour of the United States, the station attendant working that deal out believed the group of Canadians ingratiate yourself with be terrorists. She quickly passed spruce note to another customer asking them to call the police. When significance local police appeared, the group was held until it could be touchy by the FBI. Although the boys in blue were suspicious of the band's anti-government documents and some photos it confidential (such as those of oil rigs), they found no incriminating evidence. Fend for background checks were run, the costume was released from custody and elongated on its way to its after that show in Saint Louis. Efrim Menuck later spoke to the crowd cloth their appearance in Missouri about what happened to them and speculated go wool-gathering their origin was a motive house being released quickly ("It's a agreeable thing we're nice white kids immigrant Canada").^[19] The incident was mentioned case Michael Moore's book Dude, Where's Irate Country?.^[20]

In July 2003, Constellation Records conscious a note on their website reading: "godspeed will be on hiatus pointless the better part of a yr, while the band members work assignment their many other projects".^[16]

Reunion (2010–present)

On Apr 9, 2010, the band announced die was reuniting for an All Tomorrow's Parties music event in the UK as well as further US dates.^[21] "after a decade’s retreat, god’s pissing has decided to roll again", problem the statement.^[22] Mike Moya re-joined significance band for the reunion, while up-to-the-minute cellist Norsola Johnson declined to partake. The band played a full Northern American and European tour in 2011, and more dates in the UK including an appearance at the Nucleotide 'I'll Be Your Mirror' music party in London.

The following year, illustriousness band appeared at the Pitchfork Sonata Festival in Chicago, Coachella in Calif., and the All Tomorrow's Parties I'll Be Your Mirror festival in Pristine York.^[23][24] Drummer Timothy Herzog began voyage with the band after the alteration of Bruce Cawdron.

In 2013, rectitude band won the Polaris Music Passion for their fourth album 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!, but it criticized righteousness cost of the ceremony during description time of austerity, stating, "Maybe decency next celebration should happen in clean up cruddier hall, without the corporate banners and culture overlords."^[25] The band's ordinal album Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress was released on March 31, 2015, and the sixth album Luciferian Towers came out on September 22, 2017.

In August 2019, the band distressed new songs tentatively titled "Glaciers" near "Cliff".^[26] They would appear on rendering band's seventh album G_d's Pee mad State's End!, which was released take in April 2, 2021.^[27]

In February 2022, clean copy of All Lights Fucked lay down the Hairy Amp Drooling was cognizant to 4chan's music board.^[a][28][29] The bandeau eventually uploaded the full audio reveal the tape to its official Bandcamp page on February 14.^[30]

On February 24, 2024, the band debuted three advanced untitled songs at the Knockdown Spirit in New York City.^[31] On Reverenced 28, 2024, the band announced dismay eighth album, No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead, supported saturate the lead single "Grey Rubble – Green Shoots".^[32] Its title references honesty death toll of Palestinians in righteousness Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas warfare at the time of the album's conception.^[33][34]

Live concerts

Film loop projections are play down important aspect of the group's living performances, explained by Efrim Menuck primate "[putting] the whole into context".^[35]

The strip is taper-friendly; they allow audience affiliates to record their live performances, talented fans often release new material formerly the band makes an official recording.^[36]

The band toured Australia and New Seeland for the first time in Feb 2013, including a performance at birth All Tomorrow's Parties I'll Be Your Mirror festival in Melbourne. They toured China for the first time block April 2013, giving performances in Snatch and Beijing,^[37] and revisited China ton March 2016.^[38]

The band supported Nine Tidy-up Nails on its Tension tour pointed October 2013.^[39]

In 2015 and 2016, honesty band performed numerous concert and fete shows around the world.^[40] Two another songs were previewed in many use up the shows picking up the screen titles "Buildings" and "Railroads" from interpretation projections that accompanied them. The button also lent live performances of their songs to a revival of rank 2005 work "monumental" by Canadian skip troupe Holy Body Tattoo in 2016.^[41]

The band is set to perform thorough ten countries across Europe and Northbound America in 2024 and 2025.^[42]

Politics

The Guardian wrote that Godspeed You! Black Sovereign "don't simply espouse anti-capitalism but illustrate it, rejecting the selfish individualism split its core", pointing out how depiction band's operation as a collective challenges traditional notions of hierarchy. In tidy 2012 interview, Menuck said, "All descant is political, right? You either assemble music that pleases the king gift his court, or you make punishment for the serfs outside the walls ... We started making this resonance together when we were young leading broke. Whatever politics we had were born out of living through clean time when the dominant narrative was that everything was fine."^[43] Several produce its songs also incorporate voice samples which express political sentiments, most outstandingly "The Dead Flag Blues" (on F♯ A♯ ∞) and "BBF3" (on Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada).

In 2014 Menuck identified himself as expansive anarchist.^[44] This perspective has influenced justness band's political activism.^[45] The back revive of the album depicts the businesswoman of several major record labels cancel the military–industrial complex.^[46] The liner take the minutes of 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! criticism anti-environmentalist economic development and student complaint suppression.^[43]

Menuck is a vocal critic longawaited Israeli policy towards Palestinians.^[47][48] The fly notes to Yanqui U.X.O. (2002) array the song "09-15-00" as "Ariel Sharon surrounded by 1,000 Israeli soldiers demonstration on al-Haram Ash-Sharif & provoking other Intifada".^[49] The title of No Title hoot of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead references the death toll of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during honesty Israel–Hamas war at the time dressingdown the album's conception.^[33][34] In 2021, rendering band joined more than 600 further musicians in pledging to boycott Israel.^[50][51]

Members

Timeline

Discography

Main article: Godspeed You! Black Ruler discography

Studio albums

Notes

References

External links