Godspeed You! Black Emperor
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor | |
|---|---|
 GY! BE live in London, November 2003 |
|
| General information | |
| origin | Montreal , Quebec , Canada |
| Genre (s) | Post rock |
| founding | 1994 |
| Website | brainwashed.com/godspeed/ |
| Founding members | |
| Efrim Menuck | |
| Mauro Pezzente | |
| Mike Moya | |
| Current occupation | |
| Efrim Menuck | |
Violin , film loops |
Sophie Trudeau |
| David Bryant | |
Drums |
Aidan Girt |
guitar |
Roger Tellier-Craig |
| Mauro Pezzente | |
Bass, double bass
|
Thierry Amar |
Drums, percussion
|
Bruce Cawdron |
| Norsola Johnson | |
guitar |
Mike Moya (until 2000, since 2010) |
| The band also counts a movie projector as a band member. | |
| former members | |
guitar |
Roger-Tellier Craig (until 2003) |
Keyboard |
Grayson Walker (until 2003) |
Film loops |
John Littlefair |
French horn |
Thea Pratt |
bass |
Gregory Borys |
guitar |
James Daytron |
Keyboard, harpsichord , guitar |
James Chau |
Godspeed You! Black Emperor , GY! BE for short (formerly first Godspeed You Black Emperor ! , then Godspeed! You Black Emperor ; in the current German spelling: Gute Reise Dir! Schwarzer Kaiser ) is a Canadian rock band from Montreal , Québec , whose albums are style-defining apply to modern post-rock . The band, founded around 1994, released their fourth studio album in 2012 after 10 years without any new material.
Surname
The name comes from God Speed You! Black Emperor. (original: ゴッド·スピード·ユーBLACK EMPEROR!. , Goddo supīdo yū Black Emperor!. ), a 1976 resulting black and white documentary by director Mitsuo Yanagimachi in which the deeds of a Japanese biker gang ( bōsōzoku ), the Black Emperors , to be discribed. The spelling of the band name was changed several times, but only the position of the exclamation mark changed: from “Godspeed You Black Emperor!” (1994–1999) to “Godspeed! You Black Emperor ”(1999–2002) to“ Godspeed You! Black Emperor "(from 2002).
music
The music is usually categorized as post-rock, but the band distances itself from such a national classification. However, it is seen by many critics and listeners as an essential component, sometimes even as a kind of center of the post-rock scene. The band, on the other hand, emphasizes the importance of their regional environment and their roots in the socio-cultural phenomenon of Pop Montréal , a cross-style and inspiring artist community from the Québec metropolis.
Musically, she is influenced by a number of styles such as progressive rock , punk and classical music . Her recordings each consist of a few rather long instrumental tracks, usually between ten and 25 minutes, which are divided into “movements”, which in some cases are also listed on the track list.
Around 1994 the band was formed by three members, but the number and names of musicians often changed. The band now had 15 members, but mostly the number was nine. The instruments played changed with the personnel changes, but the music is largely based on electric and bass guitars , string instruments and percussion . Sometimes other instruments such as the carillon and the French horn are also played. The music on some of their albums is accompanied by spoken field recordings . These serve at least partly to comment on the otherwise purely instrumental music. In these samples, recorded by the band across North America, you can hear something like that. a. an apocalyptic street preacher from Providence , Rhode Island, a nostalgic reflection on Coney Island today and then, an announcement in a shop and a group of French-speaking and singing children.
The band doesn't use keyboards, synthesizers or computers for their music. Band member Efrim Menuck said in an interview about it:
“Well, first and foremost, we're all kind of punk rock kids, we've been using the same tools we've been using since we were 15 years old. Aidan [Girt], our drummer, plays in a band called Exhaust and uses samples there. And Roger [le Tellier-Craig], one of our guitarists, plays in another one where some analog synthesizers are used, but by and large we are deeply rooted in punk rock, American hardcore . We respect guys like Autechre or Aphex Twin , but we decided to work differently, with guitars and big amps. "
tape
In the past, the band members were reluctant to give traditional promotional interviews and openly showed their distaste for the mainstream music industry . This gave them a reputation as shady, even anti-social figures - which was possibly reinforced by the fact that the band members were only known by their first names and there are no official, authorized band photos. The record covers also often contain political or socially critical text fragments, drawings and allusions, which in this form are rather rare in the otherwise mostly apolitical post-rock genre. Beyond that, little is known about the musicians personally. However, the band became much better known after being featured on the cover of the British music magazine New Musical Express in 1999 .
The member who speaks to the press most often is Efrim Menuck , which is why he is sometimes featured as a front man. However, he himself denies this.
Band history
founding
The story of Godspeed You! Black Emperor began in 1994 when Efrim Menuck, Mauro Pezzente and Mike Moya, equipped with two guitars and a bass , were offered a gig to support the Montreal band Steak 72 . Since they had little time to rehearse, the three agreed that each of them should only play one chord for half an hour . Since a few people liked this particular kind of music, they decided to keep going for now. This is commonly referred to as the founding date of Godspeed You! Black Emperor viewed.
Guitarist Efrim Menuck on the band's first concepts:
"[...] And then three of us did a gig, and we had the idea of only playing one note for an hour. And that was Godspeed You for about a year! Black Emperor, that band that played a note for hours. And then it was somehow two notes, then three ... It started so tightly and then got so big ... [...] Somehow, the movements were a logical conclusion from this thing, that you play a note for an hour. At least that's it for me. "
All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling
For a year GY! BE played several gigs in Montreal and recorded a tape called All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling , of which only 33 copies were made. At that time the band consisted only of Efrim Menuck, Mauro Pezzente and Mike Moya. The music for the cassette was recorded with a 4-track. Already at that time they called themselves Godspeed You Black Emperor! . Little is known about the cassette. Despite its cult status and "legendary building" around this cassette, copies of it have never appeared on the Internet, although members of the band sometimes still give copies of the cassette to fans today. Efrim Menuck explained in an interview in early 2010 why Constellation Records or the band are not re-releasing the cassette:
"It's complicated. Since [the cassette] is not at all similar to what Godspeed would later become known for, it would be difficult to get the cassette out without the feeling of being ripped off the fans. I wouldn't want anyone to buy it and expect an old Godspeed record until the buyer realizes it's completely different. I think [the tape] is interesting, but not that great either. Musically speaking, I don't even know the value of music. I mean, there is singing on it! Lots of singing! "
F♯A♯∞
In the following years the number of band members grew strongly. This was because most of the few Montrealers who liked GY! BE's music mostly became members of the band straight away. After a short time the band had 14 members. As a result, the band's music also became more varied, it was now not limited to the two instruments and one chord.
“At first we were three people. We met a friend who is a horn player, but he no longer plays with us. I've played with Dave before. So Dave was playing the three of us and I knew Thierry, so Thierry started playing with us. Dave knew our cellist so she played along too. It was a bit like that everyone who knew who could play music and was really nice then accepted the guy into the band. Last year around this time we were 15 people and that was horrible, so we went down to nine members and since then we've leveled off at nine ... ”
In the course of 1995/1996 GY! BE members took over a building in Montreal, which they named Hotel2Tango . They not only lived here, but also held concerts and set up a recording studio . In the spring of 1997 the recordings for Godspeed You! Black Emperors first album F♯A♯∞ , which was released in August of the same year in a limited edition of 500 copies on vinyl. The record was released on the newly founded label Constellation Records, the sleeves were handcrafted by the label and designed by local artists. In addition, the record came with a few extras, such as a Canadian penny blown by a train . Shortly after the release of F♯A♯∞ , the American label Kranky wanted to put the album out on CD. The band agreed and signed a contract for two albums. Constellation Records continued to take care of the vinyl releases and more records were re-pressed.
The next years of GY! BE were characterized by extensive touring. After the band initially played mainly in small halls in Montreal, they now toured all over Canada and the United States . The band often toured without money, the income from the concerts was mainly used for travel and accommodation, the band did not earn any money. However, a US tour was subsidized by the Canadian government, GY! BE benefited from a subsidy system for which they were lucky enough to get a contract. With this money they organized a European tour. The band members liked touring Europe, they felt better treated than in America.
"In the clubs they treat you like shit, the people there are strangers, completely alienated ... they look like you and me, but once you get close to them there's nothing left of it, nothing behind it. It's so far away, a broken place, very, very broken ... the devil's nightmare. "
Between these tours, GY! BE wrote new songs, which were eventually released in the form of the EP Slow Riot for New Zerø Canada . The record was released in March 1999 on vinyl by Constellation Records and on CD by Kranky.
Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven!
A post-rock scene began to grow in Montreal around Constellation Records, Hotel2Tango and GY! BE. The many members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor eagerly founded new side projects to which they invited musicians friends. These in turn founded other projects and thus created an amazing scene. Another GY! BE side project was founded in 1999 with A Silver Mt. Zion . Despite the tours and the projects, the members never let GY! BE out of their sight and recorded another album. Lift Yr. Was released as a double album in early 2000 . Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven! is generally seen as the highlight of the GY! BE discography: The 4 songs, which lasted an average of 20 minutes, fascinated critics and fans alike, for example Pitchfork Media gave a high rating with 9 out of 10 points.
Yanqui UXO
GY! BE's third album, Yanqui UXO , was released in November 2002. The album clearly shows the political views of the band members. Yanqui is the Spanish word for Yankee , UXO stands for Unexploded Ordnance . The cover shows bombs falling from an airplane, on the back there is a drawing that shows the connections between the four major labels and the arms industry . The record caused disagreements among fans and critics. Pitchfork Media only awarded 5.6 out of 10 points, Allmusic awarded 3.5 out of 5 stars. In 2003, long-time guitarist Roger Tellier-Craig left the band by mutual agreement to devote more time to Fly Pan Am .
hiatus
After the tour to Yanqui UXO , the band announced they wanted to take a break. Most of the time the band's numerous side projects are given as the reason for the break. In February 2008, an interview with Efrim Menuck was misinterpreted, so that the rumor arose that GY! BE had disbanded. This was later denied by the band.
End of break
In April 2010 the band announced some concerts in Europe and 9 concerts in North America for the winter of 2010. They will also be curating the 2010 All Tomorrow's Parties festival in the UK. The document was confirmed by Efrim Menuck at live concerts by A Silver Mt. Zion and by the record label Constellation Records. GY! BE will not be giving interviews about the end of the hiatus.
The first concert dates for Great Britain were announced in mid-June 2010. In September further Europe dates were finally published, including just a concert in Germany on January 20, 2011 in Berlin. Data for Italy were published in mid-October.
'Allelujah! Don't bend! Ascend!
In October 2012 the album 'Allelujah! Don't bend! Ascend! as MP3 and Flac downloads as well as CD and LP. The titles of the four songs are: Mladic , Their Helicopters' Sing , We Drift Like Worried Fire and Strung Like Lights at Thee Printemps Erable.
Trivia
- In 2002 the band allowed director Danny Boyle to use part ( sad mafioso ) of the 17:58 minute long track East Hastings for his film 28 Days Later . In the film, Jim, played by Cillian Murphy , is accompanied by an abridged version of sad mafioso when he wanders through the ghost town of London as the only survivor of a virus epidemic in an opening sequence. East Hastings was released in 1998 on the album F♯A♯∞ . The piece does not appear on the film's soundtrack.
- At concerts , the band sometimes plays the songs Albanian and Gamelan . However, these songs can also be found on the Internet as high-quality audience recordings. This is made possible by the band's approval for such recordings - it is often the case that new material is released by fans of the band before it is officially recorded. The songs were recorded on the 2012 album 'Allelujah! Don't bend! Ascend! published in a slightly different form.
- In 2003 the band was arrested by the police while on tour in the USA because concerned residents thought they were terrorists. The FBI was later called in after allegedly suspicious material was found on the tour bus. However, the band was released the same day. Efrim Menuck later said that at the time he was happy not to be a Pakistani or a Korean.
Discography
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- 1994: All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling ( cassette only , limited to 33 copies)
- 1997: F♯A♯∞ (LP)
- 1998: F♯A♯∞ (CD)
- 1999: Slow Riot for New Zerø Canada (EP)
- 2000: Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven!
- 2002: Yanqui UXO (different editions on LP and CD)
- 2012: 'Allelujah! Don't bend! Ascend!
- 2015: Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
- 2017: Luciferian Towers
on compilations
- 1998: Sunshine + Gasoline (distributed as an encore with Amazezine Magazine ; split single with Fly Pan Am )
- 2004: Outro (on the Constellation Records -Sampler Song of the Silent Land )
Further projects of the band members
- A Silver Mt. Zion - Post-rock with vocals. Was founded in 1999 as a side project of GY! BE.
- Bottleskup Flenkenkenmike
- Bakunin's boom
- 1-Speed Bike - Electronic project by drummer Aidan Girt.
- Exhaust
- Fly Pan Am - Instrumental band with an experimental noise approach.
- Et sans
- Set Fire to Flames - Experimental musician collective from Montreal.
- Hṛṣṭa - Post-Rock with former GY! BE guitarist Mike Moya, who also sings here.
- Molasses
- Esmerine
- Balai mécanique
- 'Gypt Gore
- Shalabi Effect
- Black Ox Orkestar - chamber music with a Klezmer approach.
Most of these bands release on Constellation Records .
literature
- Brad Weslake: Godspeed You Black Emperor! and the Politics of Chaos , in: Neo-Industrial Opera , Article, September 2002, Melbourne. Full text online .
- Here there is a German translation of the essay.
Web links
- Official website
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor on Constellation Records
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor on the Internet Archive (in FLAC format)
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor at Discogs (English)
- Observer (GB) newspaper article
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor on MusicBrainz (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Tobi Honest / Eric Mandel: They do everything differently: Godspeed You Black Emperor from Canada . In: Zitty issue 16/99 . concert office hugsam. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ↑ a b c Constellation Records: Godspeed You! Black Emperor biography . In: Bands index . Constellation Records. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ↑ David Keenan: LIFE STINKS - Interview with Godspeed You Black Emperor! . The Wire. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ↑ In the original: And then three of us played a show, and the idea was to play one note for an hour, and that was Godspeed You Black Emperor for about a year, this band that played one note for an hour. And then it sort of became two notes, and three notes. It started this narrow, and then got that wide ... and then we've kind of shrunk from there, in terms of the length of songs. The movement stuff was sort of a natural outgrowth of this thing of playing one note for an hour. Or that's how it seems to me. GY! BE, interviewed by Splendid-E-Zine, 2000. Online here ( memento of the original from August 1, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ^ Constellation Records: Godspeed - All Lights Fucked Cassette . In: Godspeed Releases . Constellation Records. 2000. Archived from the original on March 4, 2000. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ↑ Godspeed You! Black Emperor started with Efrim, Mauro and Moya in the early 90s with a few concerts and the recording of a self-distributed cassette as a trio before they decided to become a large group. In the original: "Godspeed You! Black Emperor began with Efrim, Mauro and Moya in the early 90s, playing a handful of shows and recording a self-released cassette as a trio before deciding to transform the group into a large band." on http://cstrecords.com/bands/godspeed-you-black-emperor . According to Constellation Records, however, it is the recordings of the duo Efrim Menuck and Mauro Pezzente.
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from August 1, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ In the original: "It's tricky. Because it doesn't bear any relation to what Godspeed did, it would be hard to put it out without people feeling ripped off. I wouldn't want someone buying it thinking they were getting a Godspeed record only to find out it's something completely different. I think it's interesting, but I don't think it's that great! " he says, laughing. "It's pretty good, but it's not great! I think it's mostly interesting because it's a product of its time, and that was a weird time for music back then. There was nothing going on. So it's interesting on that level. But musically, I don't know how much value it has. I mean, there's singing on it! There's tons of singing on it! " on The 405: Interview with Efrim Menuck , early February 2010
- ↑ In the original: There were three of us at first. We met a friend who is a horn player who isn't playing with us anymore. I'd already played with Dave. Dave started playing with the three of us and I knew Thierry so Thierry started playing with us. Dave knew our cellist so she started playing. It was like if anyone knew anybody who played an instrument and seemed like an okay person, they would sort of join up. Last year around this time, we got up to 15 people or something and that was horrible and so we went back down to nine and have sort of been around nine ever since then.
- ^ Marie-Douce: interview in Amazeine, August 1998 . Amazeins. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ Rahman, Ali and Carpenter, Lorraine: Experimental jet-set trash and new stars deconstructing the mile-end "scene" . In: The Front . Montreal Mirror. Archived from the original on November 12, 2002. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ↑ a b Constellation Records: F # A # ∞ . In: Records index . Constellation Records. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ Constellation interview (part 2) . ARTNOISE. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ↑ Slow Riot for New Zerø Canada, Record Credits . 03, 1999
- ^ Constellation Records: Slow Riot for New Zero Canada . In: Records index . Constellation Records. Archived from the original on January 22nd, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ Constellation Records: Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven . In: Records index . Constellation Records. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ Brent S. Sirota: Lift your Skinny Fists Record Review . Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on July 16, 2006. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ Constellation Records: Yanqui UXO Information . In: Records index . Constellation Records. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ↑ Ryan Schreiber: Yanqui UXO Record Review . Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on August 19, 2006. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ↑ Thom Jurek: Yanqui UXO Record Review . Allmusic. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
- ↑ Godspeed You! Black Emperor quit over Iraq
- ↑ Announcement of the return for 2010 ( Memento of the original from July 12, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the website of the publisher cstrecords.com . Retrieved April 9, 2010.
- ↑ http://pitchfork.com/news/39199-godspeed-you-black-emperor-announce-more-reunion-tour-dates/
- ↑ Godspeed You! Europe
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2002/nov/10/features.review27
- ↑ http://www.archive.org/details/gybe2003-05-14.shnf
- ↑ entry in the BTAT database, see "Godspeed You Black Emperor . Accessed December 31, 2010.
- ↑ Band members released after terrorist report ( Memento from February 8, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2003/03/godspeed_you_bl.html
- ↑ UK chart archive
