'Allelujah! Don't Bend Ascend
Constellation
2012
Rating: 7.5 double plays out of 10
I often think of Godspeed You! Black Emperor as the godfathers of instrumental post-rock... not because they were the first to play this style of music or are the most popular, but they just seem the most...important. I realize this is mostly me talking out of my ass, but their music seems like it is more than just a gang of Canadian musicians playing long songs with no vocals, it feels much more special than that. Maybe I'm reading more into their music than I should, but based on the most recent live viewing of the band a lot of other guys between 30 and 40 who don't like to shave feel the same way.
Anyways, first record in a decade, four songs in a little under an hour, blah blah blah, all the shit all the other reviewers are saying. Bottom line - it's awesome. Opening track "Mladic" at nearly 20 minutes long is worth the price of the album by itself. The song gets so heavy around the middle that they venture into metal territory. Really beautiful stuff. The other epic track "We Drift Like Worried Fire" is also a fine addition to their canon, though not as heavy as the first. The other two are just noisy filler for my money, but I'm sure the avant-whatever folks will dig it.
