Back catalogue: Post Rock/Experimental

Review: RECOMMENDED
It's pretty much impossible not to get very, very excited about the prospect of a new Godspeed record. The outfit pretty much wrote the book on huge, epic, fantastical chamber rock with a punk edge when they first set about trying to soundtrack the decline of Western civilisation back in the late-1990s, and following reformation circa 2010 have only felt more relevant.

State's End! is a fitting addition to a back catalogue almost-entirely comprising landmark records, and while very much in the same vein as the band's previous, it's also original enough to confirm the group are still as incomparable as ever (albeit some have noted this album takes them one-step closer to a latter day Pink Floyd). Soaring, rousing, tense instrumental rock that also packs a vital message - the world needs to change tact before all is too late - it's likely this will be one of the year's most essential releases.

Review: The Canadian sonic soothsayers here deal out their shortest, and most immediate record since their 1997's debut, yet for all its 40-minute brevity, there's no shortage of the kind of monolithic intensity that the band have become renowned for. As orchestral and elegiac as it triumphantly amp-abusing, "Asunder..." is a masterclass in windswept atmospherics, powerful dynamics and apocalyptic grandeur, building to a climax with enough emotional heft to shake any listener's world on its axis. Existing more than ever outside of genre and comparison, Godspeed continue to inhabit an awe-inspiring sonic landscape that is theirs and theirs alone.

Review: The Canadian post-rock instrumentalists return with a demand for revolution, soundtracked by just shy of 45 minutes of orchestral aggression. As with all of their work, GY!BE convey their ideas articulately through evocative wordless music. The opener, 'Undoing a Luciferian Towers' sets a tone for the album with a monolithic and militaristic march. Passages of feedback open out into anthemic expanse on the three parts of 'Bosses Hang'. 'Fam/Famine' balances between harmonic assonance and dissonance, ramping up the tension before the final triptych 'Anthem Of The State' takes a more optimistic tone, with the movement away from noise providing some glimmers of light in the abyss. 'Luciferian Towers' is an impeccable and polished record, and possibly Godspeed You! Black Emperor's finest to date.

Review: Godspeed You! Black Emperor are back for their newest and most eagerly awaited album, No Title As Of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead. This upcoming record, their first since 2021's G_d's Pee At State's End!, comprises six tracks that promise to uphold the band's renowned style of merging ambient textures with explosive crescendos. The album's title, steeped in the bleak realities of a world fraught with turmoil and disintegration, is echoed in the music itself. The compositions integrate field recordings, sparse instrumentation, and solemn hymns, embodying their anti-war and anti-capitalist ethos. Known for their dramatic contrasts and expansive, multi-part pieces, Godspeed You! Black Emperor continue to blend influences from post-punk, progressive rock, and avant-garde. No Title As Of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead promises to deliver a compelling and introspective listening experience, staying true to the band's politically charged and dystopian themes.

Review: Jesscia Moss's 'Phosphenes' was released in November 2021, and now a year later she follows it up with a companion album, 'Galaxy Heart'. It's the conclusion of a truly vast and accomplished body of work that was written, performed and self-produced deep in isolation throughout the lockdowns of the pandemic-riddled 2020. There is a raw energy and a searching mood to this record following the deliberate post-classical compositions of the former sister record. A heart-warming listen of cosmic exploration and celestial grit with contributions from the likes of White and Amar.

Review: We Are Winter's Blue And Radiant Children features Mat Ball (Big Brave), Efrim Manuel Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion), and Jonathan Downs and Patch One (both Ada). Their new album, No More Apocalypse delivers six haunting lullabies infused with heavy distortion and electronic rhythms. Ball and Menuck initiated the project during the harsh Montreal winters, seeking warmth and solace in their music. Later, they brought in Downs and Patch to enrich their vision. The album explores the theme of observing despair from a place of safety. Menuck's lyrics, freed from traditional meter, offer vivid, photorealistic imagery. On the opener 'Rats and Roses,' he describes a city struck by an unnamed disaster, drawing on local details like neighbors poisoning birds while dealing with rats. The track builds to a powerful crescendo with blown-out synths and guitars. 'Dangling Blanket From A Balcony (White Phosphorous)' recalls Michael Jackson's infamous balcony incident and comments on white phosphorous, a wartime technology causing severe burns. The final track, '(Goodnight) White Phosphorous,' is a lullaby reflecting on the horror of white phosphorous falling outside one's window. No More Apocalypse Father is a profound blend of illumination and despair. The album captures the conflicting emotions of witnessing horror from a place of comfort, evoking a sense of ambivalence that is far from passive. It's a powerful, immersive experience that resonates deeply.