Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock collective that originated in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

in 1994. The group releases recordings through

Constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...

, an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

also located in Montreal. The group released their debut album '' F♯ A♯ ∞'', in 1997 and toured regularly from 1998 to 2003. Their second album '' Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven'' (2000) received critical acclaim and has been named as one of the best albums of the decade. Following the release of '' Yanqui U.X.O.'' (2002), the band went on hiatus in 2003 to pursue other musical interests. The band was rumored to have broken up, but reformed in 2010. Their first post-reunion album '' 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!'' (2012) won the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. This was followed by ''

Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress ''Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released on 31 March 2015 by Constellation Records (Canada), Constellation Records. The album was recorded with Electrical A ...

'' (2015), '' Luciferian Towers'' (2017), '' G_d's Pee at State's End!'' (2021) and '' No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead'' (2024). The band has a dedicated cult following and is renowned for being influential in the post-rock genre. Their music, mainly instrumental in nature, has been noted for its contrasts between ambient soundscapes and chaotic crescendos; use of field recordings and spoken word monologues; and focus on dystopian,

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

and anti-war themes. Members of the group have formed a number of side projects, including Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, Fly Pan Am, Hrsta, Esmerine, and

Set Fire to Flames Set Fire to Flames was a Canadian instrumental music ensemble consisting of 13 musicians from Montreal, Quebec.

History

First run (1994–2003)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor was formed in 1994 in

, by Efrim Menuck (

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

), Mike Moya (guitar), and Mauro Pezzente ( bass).Colin Larkin.
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
''. Omnibus Press; 27 May 2011. . p. 1439. The band took its name from '' God Speed You! Black Emperor'', a 1976 Japanese black-and-white

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

by director Mitsuo Yanagimachi, which follows the exploits of a Japanese biker gang, the Black Emperors. The band initially assembled after being offered a supporting act for another local band named Steak 72. Thereafter, the trio performed live on a few separate occasions. Previously, the name "God Speed You Black Emperor!" had been used by Menuck on a limited cassette entitled '' All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling'' that had been recorded the year prior, with limited contributions by Pezzente on bass, although it would not be until 1994 that the actual band formed. The band expanded and continued to perform live. According to Menuck, joining the group was simple: "It was like if anyone knew anybody who played an instrument and seemed like an okay person, they would sort of join up." The group's number of members frequently changed during this time. Local musicians would often join the band for a handful of performances, then depart. The revolving door nature of the group's membership frequently caused it strain before the release of '' F♯ A♯ ∞''. After that release, the group stabilized around a nine-person lineup with Menuck, Moya and David Bryant on guitars, Pezzente and Thierry Amar on bass guitars, Aidan Girt and Bruce Cawdron on drums, and Sophie Trudeau and Norsola Johnson on violin and cello respectively. Moya would depart in 1998 to focus on HṚṢṬA, being replaced by Roger Tellier-Craig of Fly Pan Am. Tellier-Craig left in 2004 to devote more time to Fly Pan Am. In 2002, the band released their third album '' Yanqui U.X.O.'', which was recorded in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and engineered by

Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...

. The group was once misconstrued as being a band of terrorists. After stopping at a local gas station for fuel in the town of Ardmore, Oklahoma, during their 2003 tour of the United States, the station attendant working that day believed the group of Canadians to be terrorists. She quickly passed a note to another customer asking them to call the police. When the local police appeared, the group was held until it could be questioned by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

. Although the police were suspicious of the band's anti-government documents and some photos it had (such as those of oil rigs), they found no incriminating evidence. After

background check A background check is a process used by an organisation or person to verify that an individual is who they claim to be, and check their past record to confirm education, employment history, and other activities, and for a criminal record. The fr ...

s were run, the ensemble was released from custody and continued on its way to its next show in Saint Louis. Efrim Menuck later spoke to the crowd during their appearance in Missouri about what happened to them and speculated that their origin was a motive for being released quickly ("It's a good thing we're nice white kids from Canada"). The incident was mentioned in

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various Social issue, social, political, and economic topics. He first became publicly known for his award-winning debut ...

's book '' Dude, Where's My Country?''. In July 2003, Constellation Records posted a note on their website reading: "godspeed will be on hiatus for the better part of a year, while the band members work on their many other projects".

Reunion (2010–present)

On April 9, 2010, the band announced it was reuniting for an All Tomorrow's Parties music event in the UK as well as further US dates. "after a decade’s retreat, god’s pee has decided to roll again", read the statement. Mike Moya re-joined the band for the reunion, while original cellist Norsola Johnson declined to participate. The band played a full North American and European tour in 2011, and more dates in the UK including an appearance at the ATP ' I'll Be Your Mirror' music festival in London. The following year, the band appeared at the

Pitchfork Music Festival Pitchfork Music Festival was an annual music festival in Union Park (Chicago), Union Park in Chicago, Illinois, organized by the online magazine ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork.'' Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris ...

in Chicago, Coachella in California, and the All Tomorrow's Parties I'll Be Your Mirror festival in New York. Drummer Timothy Herzog began touring with the band after the departure of Bruce Cawdron. In 2013, the band won the

Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize. The prize was inc ...

for their fourth album '' 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!'', but it criticized the cost of the ceremony during the time of

austerity In economic policy, austerity is a set of Political economy, political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through Government spending, spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three prim ...

, stating, "Maybe the next celebration should happen in a cruddier hall, without the corporate banners and culture overlords." The band's fifth album ''

'' was released on March 31, 2015, and the sixth album '' Luciferian Towers'' came out on September 22, 2017. In August 2019, the band played new songs tentatively titled "Glaciers" and "Cliff". They would appear on the band's seventh album '' G_d's Pee at State's End!,'' which was released on April 2, 2021. In February 2022, a copy of '' All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling'' was posted to 4chan's music board, /mu/. The band eventually uploaded the full audio of the tape to its official

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

page on February 14. On February 24, 2024, the band debuted three new untitled songs at the Knockdown Center in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. On August 28, 2024, the band announced its eighth album, '' No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead'', supported by the lead single "Grey Rubble – Green Shoots". Its title references the death toll of Palestinians in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

during the Gaza war at the time of the album's conception.

Live concerts

Film loop projections are an important aspect of the group's live performances, explained by Efrim Menuck as " uttingthe whole into context". The band is taper-friendly; they allow audience members to record their live performances, and fans often release new material before the band makes an official recording. The band toured Australia and New Zealand for the first time in February 2013, including a performance at the All Tomorrow's Parties I'll Be Your Mirror festival in Melbourne. They toured China for the first time in April 2013, giving performances in Shanghai and Beijing, and revisited China in March 2016. The band supported Nine Inch Nails on its Tension tour in October 2013. In 2015 and 2016, the band performed numerous concert and festival shows around the world. Two new songs were previewed in many of the shows picking up the fan titles "Buildings" and "Railroads" from the projections that accompanied them. The band also lent live performances of their songs to a revival of the 2005 work "monumental" by Canadian dance troupe Holy Body Tattoo in 2016. The band is set to perform in ten countries across Europe and North America in 2024 and 2025.

Politics

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' wrote that Godspeed You! Black Emperor "don't simply espouse

anti-capitalism Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists seek to combat the worst effects of capitalism and to eventually replace capitalism with an alternati ...

but embody it, rejecting the selfish individualism at its core", pointing out how the band's operation as a collective challenges traditional notions of hierarchy. In a 2012 interview, Menuck said, "All music is political, right? You either make music that pleases the king and his court, or you make music for the serfs outside the walls ... We started making this noise together when we were young and broke. Whatever politics we had were born out of living through a time when the dominant narrative was that everything was fine." Several of its songs also incorporate voice samples which express political sentiments, most notably "The Dead Flag Blues" (on ''F♯ A♯ ∞'') and "BBF3" (on '' Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada''). In 2014 Menuck identified himself as an

. This perspective has influenced the band's political activism. The back cover of '' Yanqui U.X.O.'' depicts the relationships of several major record labels to the military–industrial complex. The liner notes of '''Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!'' criticize anti-environmentalist economic development and student protest suppression. Menuck is a vocal critic of Israeli policy towards Palestinians. The

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

to '' Yanqui U.X.O.'' (2002) describe the song "09-15-00" as " Ariel Sharon surrounded by 1,000 Israeli soldiers marching on al-Haram Ash-Sharif & provoking another Intifada". The title of '' No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead'' references the death toll of Palestinians in the

during the Gaza war at the time of the album's conception. In 2021, the band joined more than 600 other musicians in pledging to boycott Israel until it ends its occupation of Palestinian territories.

Members

Current * Efrim Menuck – guitar, tape loops, keyboards * Mauro Pezzente – bass guitar * Mike Moya – guitar * Thierry Amar – double bass, bass guitar * David Bryant – guitar, tape loops * Aidan Girt – drums, percussion * Sophie Trudeau – violin * Karl Lemieux – film projections * Timothy Herzog – drums, percussion * Philippe Léonard – film projections Former * Thea Pratt –

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most o ...

* Dano LeBlanc – drums * Jesse Pratt – violin * Bruce Cawdron – drums, percussion * Norsola Johnson – cello * Grayson Walker –

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

* Christophe Comte – violin * Roger Tellier-Craig – guitar * Mark Littlefair – film projections * Jean-Sébastian Truchy – film projections * Fluffy Erskine – film projections Timeline

Discography

Studio albums *'' F♯ A♯ ∞'' (1997) *'' Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven'' (2000) *'' Yanqui U.X.O.'' (2002) *'' 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!'' (2012) *''

'' (2015) *'' Luciferian Towers'' (2017) *'' G_d's Pee at State's End!'' (2021) *'' No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead'' (2024)

Notes

References

External links

*
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
on Constellation Records * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Godspeed You Black Emperor Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Musical groups reestablished in 2010 Musical groups from Montreal Canadian post-rock groups Musical collectives Anti-corporate activism Constellation Records (Canada) artists Polaris Music Prize winners 1994 establishments in Quebec Kranky (record label) artists