Chroniques et points de vue:

Un incontournable québécois:
C'est loin des projecteurs que Godspeed You Black Emperor ! a concocté Lift Your Skinny Fists…, un impressionnant enregistrement post-rock qui a voyagé discrètement mais sûrement autour du globe. 0n y trouve un travail des atmosphères qui séduit autant qu'il commotionne.

From :
Canada's Godspeed You Black Emperor raise the ante on their already ambitious orchestral rock by releasing a double CD of material as their second full-length album. The group combines the drums and guitar of typical rock-band instrumentation with horns and strings to create a music built around drones and slowly evolving melodic figures. lt rises and falls from delicate introductory passages to unabashed grand climaxes. Their juxtaposition of drums with violins and lush romantic tonality brings to mind Rachel's, but their compositional scale and the pounding repetitive intensity of their dynamic peaks evoke Glenn Branca's The Ascension. Although the two discs are indexed at only two 21-minute tracks each, the package includes a handy road map to the movements into which each is subdivided. The opening piece starts with five minutes of a 15-beat circular melodic pattern that is gradually embellished as the volume swells to an ecstatic roar. The release drops down to a pastoral drone that rebuilds to support an acid-etched guitar solo, which in turn yields to a unified 4/4 kraut rock pound that eventually explodes, leaving behind field recordings of public announcements mingled with wandering late-night Swell Maps piano. The other pieces use a similar set of sonic building blocks to take the listener on comparable journeys. Fans of Godspeed's previous work will be very happy, and the curious might want to hop on board as well. --Bob Bannister

Amazon.ca:
Godspeed You Black Emperor! récidive avec son rock instrumental somptueux et ses paysages musicaux enveloppants dans sa troisième production, Levez vos skinny fists comme antennas to heaven!. Le collectif montréalais – deux batteries, deux basses, trois guitares, un violon et un violoncelle – livre ici un disque double où l'expérimentation sonore, parfois proche du bruitage, se fait plus présente, l'orchestration encore plus riche, la charge émotive toujours puissante.

Les quatre morceaux, d'une vingtaine de minutes chacun, sont divisés en sections qui s'enchaînent à la manière des mouvements d'une symphonie. À partir d'un motif répété en sourdine, Godspeed échafaude de lancinants crescendos, qui aspirent inéluctablement l'auditeur dans des tourbillons de guitares bourdonnantes et de percussions appuyées. La tempête finit par s'apaiser, mais la quiétude cède bientôt le pas à l'intervention lyrique des cordes, à l'irruption solennelle des cuivres, à l'orage affolant des guitares.

Les compositions quasi filmiques du groupe incorporent des voix, captées hors du studio, qui donnent à l'ensemble un incroyable pouvoir d'évocation. lci, un vieil homme se remémore le paradis de sa jeunesse, Coney lsland ; là, un duo de glockenspiel débouche sur des comptines d'enfants, comme autant d'hommages à l'innocence dans un monde en décrépitude. Une sorte d'espérance obstinée, de foi enragée, affleure, malgré les ambiances angoissantes qui baignent l'album. Levez vos skinny fists comme antennas to heaven! est une bouleversante invitation au rêve et au cauchemar de la part d'un groupe qui échappe aux comparaisons. --Noémi Mercier









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Note: - their masterpiece probably
All I can say is that I love this record and that I think it is one of the finest modern day instrumental albums i own. I don't think they are as good as Tortoise probably, but the opening track on this record really has the potential to challenge my thoughts. There are too many twists and turns on this record to tell you exactly how every song goes, but I think it is obvious that the best two tracks are the opener and the closer. Storm is my idea of a perfect piece of music and the closer, which I think is called Antennas to Heaven, really doesn't seem all that special at first until the music kicks in and there is this weird squall of guitar and the whole band playing. I don't even know if it is guitar I am just guessing, but all I know is that it is great. All in all a great record from a great band that also does not disappoint live.

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Note: - Indescribable Orchestral Rock
How does one describe music so vast, emotional and enigmatic without sounding silly? It's almost impossible, which is why I'd recommend readers to look elsewhere on this page for comprehensive, well-articulated, eloquent descriptions, as you probably won't find them in this particular review. I cannot offer anything more than subjective explorations, as I've owned this thing for months, and I still struggle trying to form coherent statements about it.

Having said that, Godspeed You! Black Emperor - a nine piece band from Canada - has created some of the most evocative, atmospheric, reflective and beautiful music. LIFT YOUR SKINNY FISTS LIKE ANTENNAS TO HEAVEN! (2000) is an instrumental album (excluding some of the random voice samples heard in a few of the tracks) comprised of four 20-minute tracks which play out in near-classical style. The band integrates strings (violin, cello, etc.) into their "rock" music, which also adds to the orchestral element of it all. Many of the arrangements also seem to play out in ascending mode: one ascending pattern plays, while another will ascend beneath, and behind it, like in circular motion. If I were to try and label this music, I'd call it a mix of ambient, anthem, orchestral, and psychedelic rock. Like many have stated, the pattern of soft, slow, build, explode, calm seems to play that way through each of the tracks, although, I don't think it's repelling enough to outweigh the impact one will receive after hearing, or rather experiencing, this music.

"Storm" is my favorite track on the album. Everyone will have their own responses as to what the tracks represent. As for me, this particular track reminds me of a song of the earth, or the song/anthem of life. It reminds me of a forest on a mid-autumn day with a tint of sunlight beaming through the shade: earthy, melancholic, reflective, balanced, ambivalent - the kind of disposition humans would have after experiencing the most elated of joys, and the deepest of sadness - more specifically, the kind of balanced, bittersweet, slightly melancholic disposition one would have after being well-seasoned in the experiences of life. If the leaves, trees, and all of Earth's components (including the grass - mother nature's carpet) could sing, this is probably what you would hear -- a song representing life itself - the happiness and the sadness. In the center of the two moods, there is sort of a melancholic, bittersweet disposition, which is exactly what seems to be the mood of this track (for me.) Other than all of that, the track exudes an anthemic quality, as well as elegance, and also has a retro-feel to it, the kind of thing you swore you've heard in the late 60s or early 70s.

"Static" loses the balanced, melancholic, wisened/mature disposition, and moves into more darker, sinister, imbalanced areas. Anger, jealousy, rage and other turbulent emotions seem to come to mind when I hear this. I also think of the color red, particularly the darker kind, like a blood-red. Someone told me that this track should have been named "storm," as it's much stormier than the first track. He makes a great point, as this fiery, red-hot track gets loud, noisy, and dangerously aggressive, especially near the ending climactic point with it's distortion/feedback, screeching note-bends and other guitar dynamics which almost make for masochistic listening.

This music is beautiful, transcendent, evocative and nearly indescribable. Don't expect to be able to articulate your responses to it very easily: just look at the silly comments listed above in this review. Nevertheless, if you're looking for simple, straightforward pop (or metal) music, you'd be well-advised to ignore this album. If it's deep, atmospheric, droning, meditative music you're looking for, give this a shot.

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Note: - * takes repeated listening ...
I have a new rule Im gonna go by. I will not review a CD till Ive had it for at least a month or two. Otherwise, I would have given this cd a low rating. As it is, this cd grows on you with every listen. Those looking for instant gratifacation need to look elsewhere. But for people who can be somewhat patient,they will be rewarded with some incredible music. When I first listened to this, I said to myself, whats this classical junk?
Oh contrare monfrare. This disc just keeps building and building until its reaches a satisfing conclusion. This might not be for everyone, but if you can get into it. its really deep.

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Note: - New Progressive Rock
Who knew progressive rock would make a comeback. If you remember the heavy, pretentious music of Yes, Gentle Giant and King Crimson with fondness, as I do, then this is welcome news indeed. In the late 90s a number of groups from odd countries have been reviving the genre and adding their own new twists. Godspeed You Black Emperor, a variable group from 9 to 18 musicians from Montreal, is one of the most interesting of these new-prog groups.

Lift Your Skinny Wrists is a double CD, lasting about 90 minutes in total. On the disc you will find GYBE's trademarks...long droning instrumental tunes which build up to shattering climaxes and then morph into new ostinati that repeat the process. New-Prog in general uses a mixture of traditional instruments, new instrumental techniques and influences from noise-rock to create it's textures. The variety in GYBE's music doesn't come in the forms or melodies, but in this fascinating build up of complex textures and in the powerful rhythmic drumming, which helps to develop the powerful crescendos.

Each track on the disc is around 20 minutes long, forming a sort of non-stop suite. Tracks are also distinguished by the use of found sounds...the sounds of an automated voice warning shoppers at a connivance mart not to let homeless people pump their gas...an older man's recollections of the heyday of Coney Island...a new-age preacher talking about the transformation of Man into God...a backwoods folk singer. One gets the feeling that there is a story behind the recording...a program of sorts, perhaps related to GYBE's left-wing political slant. But the album can be enjoyed without any knowledge of that. This is beautiful rock...played with conviction and intensity. If you like Sigur Ros or Mogwai, Godspeed You Black Emperor should also be your cup of tea.

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Note: - * Lift Your skinny bank card and buy this CD ...
Godspeed You Black Emperor!, or Godspeed You! Black Emperor as they now like to be called, have put out three full lenghts, but this, their second, is by far their best.
Although it suffers from the same predictability as their other albums (every song builds up to an enivitable crecsendo then dies off), it works. Every track is haunting and the vocal sampling is done perfectly, fitting in seamlessly with the music.
If you're not sure about buying a double album, check out the first song on the second disc and you'll be convinced.