GY!BE

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 17 20:32:49 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит GodspeedYou_Black_Emperor/(2017)_LuciferianTowers

Новый альбом Godspeed You!Black Emperor.
Основоположники пост-рока живы и вполне в творческих силах.
Как полагается, на диске 4 композиции на 45 минут, мрачная атмосфера и стена звука. Но вот, что интересно - несмотря на традиционную символику конца света, впервые, их альбом показался мне достаточно оптимистичным. Стареют, наверное.
Знающим группу - слушать обязательно! Остальным - с осторожностью.
Рекомендую!

===
(c) Review by Warthur, PA

The latest Godspeed You! Black Emperor album continues the trend of "Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress" to go for a terse single LP length for Godspeed album releases, with four songs ranging from about 6 to 14 minutes. Whereas Asunder, Sweet consisted of two conventional Godspeed compositions as bookends and improvised jams in the middle, here the psychedelic and garage rock primal DNA is integrated more into the compositions themselves, yielding an album which combines the stateliness and emotional power of classic Godspeed with the raw energy that A Silver Mt. Zion consistently captures and which the improvisational tracks on Asunder, Sweet tap into.

There's also more of an air of hopefulness on Luciferian Towers than in previous Godspeed works. Whilst recent releases had backed away a little from the unrelenting pessimism of their earliest work, here the album ends on a positively triumphant note. It's a strong return to form after the experimentation of Asunder, Sweet and proves that there's still gas in the Black Emperor's tank.
===

Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Apr 21 13:55:02 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит GodspeedYou_Black_Emperor/(2021)_G_D's_Pee_At_State'sEnd

Живы ещё ветераны пост-рока!
Вышел на-днях новый альбом GY!BE.
Когда-то, давным-давно, я писал, что они затормозили и стали повторять одно и то же. Однако, комментируя их, теперь, предпоследний альбом, я отметил, что группа продолжает развиваться, и тут оно особенно видно. В музыке становится всё меньше пост-рока и всё больше прогрессива. Нет, "апокалипсис, конец света" и вот это вот всё - присутствует, меняется подача материала. Появилось разнообразие, как в звуке, так и в используемых инструментах. В целом, диск мне понравился, можно сказать: "попал в настроение".
ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

===
G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END!
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Post Rock/Math rock, 2021
(c) Review by siLLy puPPy, PA

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR may not have invented post-rock but i'd be hard pressed to find another band that has taken the genre to the limits that this Quebec band has done. For all the Mogwai clones, Bark Psychosis wannabes and Slint worshippers in the mix, nothing really compares to the transcendental recordings that GODSPEED has so successfully forged for over two decades now and for me personally it's always a beacon of light to hear that this excellent band has returned to unleash yet another apocalyptic instrumental display of epic post-rock that continues the style laid down so very long ago.

Emerging just in time for Easter 2021 after a weary planet has grown ever so fatigued by a decaying world of corruption, disease and economic collapse, GODSPEED's music has never sounded so relevant as a soundtrack to the planet upon which we reside and the newest edition of the band's maestrohood comes to us in the form of G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! which pretty much resonates in the awesomeness that we have come to know as GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR with that instantly addictive post-rock cyclical journey accompanied by chamber rock, drones, slow building tensions that result in phenomenal crescendoes and of course freaky sounding field recordings. The album title seems to display a disgust for the world situation in a time when all of us whether we reside in Albania or Zimbabwe are sharing a common human experience.

G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! is probably the closest thing to the band's critically acclaimed masterpiece "Lift Yr. Skinny First Like Antennas To Нeaven!" which featured a mere four tracks and encompassed a whopping playing time of over 87 minutes however GODSPEED was wise when revisiting similar textures and soundscapes that evoke the so-called "classic" era (since the band's last two albums haven't been quite as revered). While the "Skinny Antennas" album warranted the double discker status as it provided that WOW value for most of us who have never experienced post-rock performed at such levels, the following albums had to stand in the shadow of that powerhouse production and although i found them extremely satisfying they clearly didn't achieve the state of perfection that that 2000 release had reached.

Thankfully G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! mined those past achievements but eschewed the ridiculously long playing time as in the last 21 years our attention spans as we music lovers have eroded and as many of us have taken on the task of not only keeping up with the contemporary world of music but also have mined the past as more and more obscurities. This official 7th album of GODSPEED features four tracks but only clocks in at a rather short (for GODSPEED) playing time of 52 minutes and 38 seconds. Everything there is to love about this band is back in full vengeance. We have those beautiful mysterious soundscapes that take eerie distorted guitar sounds with creepy violins, dark atmospheres, erratic percussion, perfectly selected field recording sounds and oddball tones and timbres from glockenspiels and radio feedback.

Led by the now post-rock gods and founding members Efrim Manuel Menuck and Mauro Pezzente, GODSPEED has been quite successful at keeping its integral sound while existing as a collective with a rotating cast of members over the years. G_d's Pee features two long tracks with ridiculously long titles and both hover around the 20-minute mark and provide the connection to the band's glorious past with lengthy journeys through sound that result in the desired outcomes. The two shorter tracks hover around the 6-minute mark and rely less on the cyclical loops and develop ominous atmospheres. The album seems to balance these aspects perfectly which results in a hella satisfying post-rock experience.

Yes GODSPEED is back and just when we needed another dose of "Skinny Antennas" styled apocalyptic post-rock that shows all those whippersnappers how this music is supposed to sound (sorry if i sound like a fanboy but i am!) In my book, GODSPEED hasn't released a single bad album with even their last two releases scoring high in my world but with G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! this band takes things back to familiar grounds that although not exactly new offers a beautiful display of ominous guitar driven post-rock in conjunct with the chamber rock sounds that brought them to the limelight. True that this album simply regurgitates that which has been expressed before but with music this dynamic, i can't help but being blown away. While clearly missing that extra oomf from the WOW factor, GODSPEED has to stand on the strength of its own unique style that doesn't ever seem to get old for my ears. Perhaps it's because the band hasn't overplayed itself with a huge canon of similar sounding albums but i think this one is going to stand the test of time even though i've only just begun to let it sink in.
===

Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido