Enigmatic avant-garde post-rock icons Godspeed You! Black Emperor, from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, have been stunning listeners with their dramatic sonic-scapes since 1994.
Their melding of contemporary classical and experimental rock into instrumental chamber rock that is full of political vehemence has made them stalwarts of the post-rock genre, influencing countless bands across many different styles of music.
The band started life as a trio before growing into a larger ensemble with a constantly rotating group of musicians, recording their first album, "F♯ A♯ ∞" in 1997. After this release, the band solidified the lineup, wanting more consistency in the band dynamics. From there on, Efrim Menuch, Mike Moya, Mauro Pezzente, David Bryant, Thierry Amar, Aidan Girt, Bruce Cawdron, Sophie Trudeau and Norsola Johnson.
The nine-piece band went on to record two albums on Kranky Records, "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven" in 2000 and "Yanqui U.X.O" in 2002. The band had developed a loyal fan base and had become cult stars due to their mysterious aura and limited interaction with the press. Their music was positively received by critics and audiences, growing in success and embarked on several tours. However, in 2003, they disbanded on an indefinite hiatus. During this period, members embarked upon side projects, including forming the bands Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Set Fire To Flames.
In 2010, the band reunited for an All Tomorrow's Parties event in the UK, as well as a number of dates in the US. with the comeback being a success, the band announced they had started recording new material in 2012, to much anticipation. Recorded in September 2012 and released just two weeks after, their fourth studio album, "Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!" was highly praised and found new fans with its release. In 2013, Godspeed won the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.
As an interesting anecdote, the band were once misconstrued as terrorists, after a gas station attendee in Ardmore, Oklahoma, US, reported them to the police. The group were interrogated by the police at the scene and had their belongings searched but no incriminating evidence was found.
Dodie
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