Godspeed You Black Emperor!: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Videos
• Photos
• Groups/Boards
• Fan Sites

• Au Revoir Borealis
• Larval
• Mogwai
• Del Rey
• Tortoise
• Fond of Tigers
• Rachel's

• Savage Republic

• The Fun Years
• The American Dollar
• The Foundry Field Recordings
• Giardini di Mirò
• One Umbrella
• The Phoenix & the Turtle
• Apse

• Valley of the Giants
• A Silver Mt. Zion
• Exhaust
• Glissandro 70
• Fly Pan Am
• Alexandre St-Onge
• Et Sans

Formed:

Jan 1, 1994 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Genres:

Rock Music, Alternative Rock Music, Progressive Rock Music

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Low

Cultural Impact

Low

Ratings Guide

The instrumental, multi-media Montreal group Godspeed You Black Emperor creates extended, repetition-oriented chamber rock. The minimal and patient builds-to-crescendo of the group's compositions result in a meditative and hypnotic listen that becomes almost narrative when combined with found sound splices, and the films of their visual collaborators. GYBE formed in 1994, and that year self-released a limited-run (33 copies) cassette entitled, All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling. The band's next recording, FA(Infinity), was initially a limited run release of 550 LPs on the Canadian label Constellation, but was picked up by Kranky and released onto CD as well. Early 1999 brought the EP Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada (released by both labels) and increased recognition for a band intent on retaining anonymity. Nevertheless, interest in GYBE only continued to grow among new music fans with much positive attention from ~The Wire magazine, the band's participation in the John Peel-produced Peel Session for the London BBC, and the group's consistently impressive live shows, including their performance at Quebec's 1999 new music festival, ~FIMAV and the tour with Labradford later that year. GYBE performances generally include at least nine or more musicians and a projectionist. The instrumentation consists of three guitars, two basses, French horn, violin, viola, cello and percussion. 2000 brought about the release of Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, pushing their diverse orchestral rock sound even further into the universe.

- Joslyn Layne, All Music Guide