Godspeed You! Black Emperor Part One: Yanqui U.X.O.

In college I was exposed to many new artists, bands and music.  I tried to like it all. Heck I remember someone asking me if I liked The Smiths and they were smiling so I went a long and smiled too.  I really don't like The Smiths.  Maybe two songs but not enough to go crazy over them.  One day in college I went over a friends dorm and we hung out, drank beer and talked about music. A band that popped up on a few occasions in our talks was Godspeed You! Black Emperor.  One of the friends had one of their albums.  He placed it on his stereo and let it play.  It was my first time listening to it, but I did not lead on that I never heard it before.  I loved the string section with the guitars swirling around and the two drummers.  It was unique and very climatic and I loved that about the music.

After a few listens by the group and myself I really wanted to see this band live.  There is no way they can keep this intensity up and for a whole concert.  It was unique because their is no band vocals per-say but the spoken word was unique and different.  It was like music for a soundtrack and they just added the dialog from the film.  Hearing more and more of it, it caught me in my music brain.  I loved it more and more with repeated listening.

When they came to tour I went.  It was a group of us.  Not going to lie, I was not sure what to expect. I never went to the venue to see a show. I'm into great acoustics for a show so their music must not sound so overpowering.  As I wait for them to go on a friend nudged me to follow her closer to the stage.  I did not bring ear plugs, but I was willing to sacrifice that to hear this beautiful yet chaotic music that was about to come.  When they came out, I was amazed how this band put it all together live.  It was two guitars, two bass players, a cello, a violin, and two drummers.  About a few days before the show I read a review that raved about their performance.  Now I knew I was in for a treat.

During the show I was amazed how each member of the band put all this together.  It was unreal and also eerie at the same time.  The music had an emotion I have never felt before at a concert.  It was not excitement, but like the music had took over my feelings, and the film shown on the screen made you even more tense with worry and excitement at the same time. They played music from the new album I just picked up called Yanqui U.X.O. that was over eighty minutes worth of emotion. I told my friend that each song made me think different.  Each song made me want to fight for justice in this world.  The song "rockets Fall on Rocket Falls" was one song that I played often on my radio show.  I loved it, the up and down of the emotion of not only the listener, but of the band playing. The version on stage was defining and blinding.  It was great and with a song that normally stretches on their album for twenty minutes is now a half-hour long.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor make music perfect in every piece they play.  They shy away from the normal four minute song and take you on a ten plus minute ride.  Each song is long and sometimes longer then the pervious one.  Yanqui U.X.O has only five songs, but each song creates wonderful tension.  Even the quiet passages lead to something that builds and builds.  Not many bands I know of can do this with great success and have the following they have.  I talked about this band for more then a month, and how they did it all in two and half hours of music.  I counted nine songs that night and they did not skip a beat.

They are musicians who are not in it for the money or fame, but for the performance of the music and to share with us.  They know their skills are great and don't really show it off.  This group loves what they do.  They love it because not only do they keep this ensemble together, but they work in smaller groups and do other music. Some of these groups are not even like Godspeed You! Black Emperor.  They are the same creative spark that make this music unique and very awesome to watch live or listen to.  These banks include Do Make Say Think, Fly Pan Am, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Set Fire to Flames.  All these bands have interchanging members and work with Godspeed! in a unique and cool way that their is heavy creativity.  All great stuff if you ask me.  Worth seeking out if your at the local record store.  

Godspeed You! Black Emperor beat to their own drum.  There music is unique and very engaging.  The album I featured is just a small piece of a large puzzle they are making. Their music is something that evokes emotion as well as music that keeps your mind thinking. It's music that I promise you that  will have you talking about them like I do.  Efrim Menuck who is the founder of Godspeed! makes engaging music for us all and it's music that keep you thinking and enjoy for a long time to come. Enjoy!!!!