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: - Into the righteousness of musicness
Godspeed are a great addition to the long list of great music makers who grace my collection. I was listening to this on a trip up through Sicily and it was the perfect soundtrack. I let a friend listen and he thought it just noise. Not for everybody I guess. I really like people who actually think before they make music, which Godspeed most certainly do. The music is so interesting, blending such a dynamic set of sounds that you can't help but be swept away by it. If you have the means, pick this up.

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Note: - Godspeed
Godspeed is a really visionary group. With as many people working together in the group, it's amazing to find that they haven't broken up due to creativity conflicts. And its even more amazing to listen to the beauty that they all manage to construct in harmony, the music flows beautifully into and out of the other. Godspeed You Black Emperor is a group that you cant categorize into no less than 4 genres. There are signs of Musique Concrete, Avant Garde, Post Rock, Indie Rock, Instrumental, Experimental and possibly others that this critic's ears haven't even discovered yet. The music follows a certain style that can be only compared to a train. The songs sometimes are inaudible to some, but gradually pick up momentum. They get fuel from the listener's curiosity and eventually hit a climax like a poetic drama.
Once the climax is hit, only God knows (heh) what sort of feelings protrude from the listener, and what sorts of emotions are manifested in the face and evinced unknowingly. The music compliments so many moods and are equally haunting. One of the benchmarks to me, is Chart #3 which involves what sounds like a fanatical evangelist preaching the word of God. To those that dont often listen to musique concrete, it can sound a little disturbing, but it ends up only adding more to the creativity that each of the members are instilled with.

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Note: - * ...so... ...
Shut up and just listen. It might not be the best but what the Hell is 'the best' these days?! It's certainly much more beautiful and adventurous than a lot of junk out there. You're allowed to enjoy music just for the sake of it. You're allowed to detach yourself from the world and float in magical melodies. So why the Hell not just do it without all the 'ifs and buts'. I think the key to truly enjoying music like this is to just succumb to it.

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Note: - Ridiculously beautiful
After listening to Godspeed's first two releases, I got the feeling that they were working towards something absolutely amazing. To say I was right is an understatement.

Skinny fists is a dramatic improvement from their first two records, even though they still sound incredible after many repeated listenings. The sad parts are sadder, the optimistic parts make you feel ten feet tall. There is a lot of music on this two-disc set, but I've never felt like it ran too long. The different movements flow together perfectly...slowly easing you into one piece, and then slowly evolving into another. The record ends before you realize it.

The composed movements here are the best of their first three records. They're much more powerful and should be able to at the very least create some goosebumps on your arms, if not make you want to cry. There are also some wonderful bits of droning ambience that are similar to their first record that provide great transitions from one movement to the next.

Needless to say, if you have a short attention span, this music isn't for you. However, if you like their first two releases, you will be blown away. This release is one of the first classics for the new millennium.

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Note: - * Get lost in it. ...
It's about 3:20 a.m. right now and I just finished listening to both cd's for the first time in my bed, all lights out. No track listing or anything. Having heard and loved Yanqui U.X.O., I knew what I was in for, but nothing could have prepared me for this. First off, I would just like to say that the best way to enjoy this music is to get lost in it. Wait until night, close your eyes, and just put it on. Many people make a general statement about this album and say "much of it is the same, it just builds and climaxes, and starts again." I find this both true and false. Yes, much of the music is based on rising. However, there is so much MORE. This stuff is all over the place... it goes from ambient noises to eerie samples and interludes to strange melodies that may or may not build, and its all mixed into what seems like a giant 80+ minute "song" (too bad it couldn't all fit onto one cd... but after hearing this I would never cut a second out of it.)

Like I mentioned earlier, the best time to listen to this is at night. In bed. I don't think it may be possible to experience this album the way I just did if you are in the middle of day or your usual agenda. I will be listening to this many times from now on... but I don't think it will be quite as good as this first time. If you love to get lost in your music, this is one of the most incredible cd's around. It's an 80+ minute hypnotic, eerie, and altogether mindblowing experience.