Customer Reviews

Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you are one of those people constantly, hungrily on the lookout for music that doesn't sound like everything else -- and you know who you are -- then you need this disc, period. It's a gem that will hold its own special place in your collection. It works on so many levels that regardless of your specific set of tastes, it's virtually guaranteed to fit in somehow, while not really overlapping anything else.

Even if you usually listen to fairly mainstream music, this one is worth branching out for. Oddly enough, for all of its complexity and edginess, this EP is remarkably easy to listen to, and it doesn't need to be listened to over and over before it becomes enjoyable (even though it certainly does bear up well under repeated listening). Put on a pair of good headphones where you won't be bothered by anyone, and just let yourself drift away.

In these two tracks, totalling about 25 minutes, GYBE creates a sweeping, textured, atmospheric musical journey. Slow rumbling tension builds into cathartic crescendos, only to break down again into mournful, pulsating echoes, swirling slowly around a core of raw musical power, winding it up until it is ready to erupt again. Classical instruments combine with rock, while eschewing the musical forms of either. On the second track, the music is interwoven with segments of what seems to be an interview with an anti-government militant. The rants and lectures (which are either disturbing, disturbed, or both, depending on your viewpoint) come and go, rising and falling, waltzing with the accompanying music, pulling together threads of fear, anger, beauty and majesty -- melancholy whimpers and triumphant explosions, all intertwining to create a musical experience that is rich, haunting, unique, satisfying, and perhaps somewhat demented.

GYBE is a genuine breath of fresh air in the current music scene. This is music that needs to be heard. In a word, it's irreplaceable.

Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada (Kranky, 1999)

Godspeed You Black Emperor! Have been around for a few years now, turning out classical-pop crossover material in relative obscurity and building themselves a small but rabid fan base. The band's aversion to publicity of any sort (motivated not by affectation so much as a deeply left-wing anarchic bent in the Montreal collective that spawned this nine-piece, who go so far as to not even reveal their last names in most cases) has kept them from the audience they fully deserve for their style of music, especially in these days when Cecilia Bartoli is a superstar even in America and Sarah Brightman and Michael Ball are cutting platinum records left and right. There is a great untapped market for pop-informed classical music, and that is exactly what GSYBE! And their legion of spinoffs do. And they haven't done it anywhere any better to date than on the EP Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada.

As with most GSYBE! releases, the number of tracks on the disc is small (two, in this case); unlike most GSYBE! releases, the tracks aren't divided up into smaller pieces. "Moya" and "BBF3" are single, fully-realized long works. This has the effect of giving the EP a greater feeling of unity then other GSYBE! discs; you know you're still listening to the same song at the end of the track that you were at the beginning.

What makes the music stand out from the crowd, aside from the obvious conceit that very few pop bands use the violin and cello as front-row instruments, is the band's incredible sense of dynamic. As with some of the best classical music, often the same phrase crops up again and again in a piece, with only a change in dynamic to keep things fresh. And it never fails here. Everyone was hitting on all cylinders, and the result is two glorious, majestic classical pieces of with more pop sensibility than can be found in any ten boy band producers put together.

(Don't get me wrong, though. I'm not talking "Boston Pops" pop here, not by a longshot. I'm talking sexy, aggressive, channeling-the-spirit-of-Robert-Johnson drum-and-bass manipulated-tape-loop Madonna-dreams-of-being-this-good pop.) **** ½

The purpose of this review is not to really review the album, but to attempt to clear things up on the BBF3 track's monologue. While reading through the group's official website (http://www.brainwashed.com/godspeed/), I ran across the monologue transcription with the following note:

NOTE: "his" poem which he recites at the end of this monologue is, in fact, not a poem by him at all, but an almost straight recital of the lyrics to virus by iron maiden. "Virus" was written by Blaze Bayley, former Iron Maiden vocalist, but the man on the recording is not actually Blaze.

Now, with that information being shared, I would like to express my opinon upon reading a comment that had written something like "GYBE praised the 9/11 attacks." On the Yanqui U.X.O. album, there is a track entitled "09-15-00." I interpreted this track as a tribute to all the victims. Now, if there were ambient sound clips of people laughing in the background of this track, maybe my opinion would be different, but the song is very sad and mournful.


I'm only 16 years old, so you may just dismiss all the previous information as "stupid" and invalid, but I would appreciate it if you took this review into consideration before immediately deciding that GYBE are strong anti-american stereotypical Canadians.



Now I can go back to being the 16 year old idiot that you may have expected.
OmGZ! I jus lUv DiS aLbUm n StuFF cuz it Iz SooOOoO KeWl.

Of all the CD's in my vast and ever-expanding collection, "Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada" may well provide the best "mood music." Blurring the lines between rock and the symphony, instrumental ensemble Godspeed You Black Emperor prove that modern music doesn't need vocals to be powerful and evocative. This music is intense, darkly emotive and always brilliantly crafted and played. In less than half an hour, "Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada" displays more power than 99 percent of the bands on the radio will in their whole careers.

The opener "Moya" may start out as a slow and minimal string-driven song, but that doesn't last long. It soon evolves into an incredibly dense, cathartic soundscape, with new instruments entering the fray until they build to a thunderous crescendo. Although this music is largely orchestral and genuinely pretty, make no mistake: these guys can rock. Hard-hitting drums and piercing guitars join with the exquisite strings to create mammoth swells of eerie orchestration. Grand melodies abound throughout the song, resulting in an epic, symphonic sweep that few can match.

The second track, "BBF3," may be even more entrancing. This song doesn't have any vocals, but it does introduce some words in the form of a paranoid rant interspersed with the music. Rather than becoming a distraction, however, the dialogue only serves to add to the song's already dramatic air. Not that GYBE need much help in creating drama: "BBF3" exploits tension and dynamics in a manner that would make Mogwai proud. Quiet, subdued passages build anticipation before giving way to full-on onslaughts that may actually make you bang your head. Around the seven- and twelve- minute marks, there are transitions so well-executed they had me twitching from pleasure overload, and you may well find yourself having a similar experience.

Perhaps most importantly, this album (or EP, as the case may be), is made to last. Although the inital jolt of hearing these songs is often staggering, repeated listens reveal even more wrinkles, ensuring that anyone with an ear for detail can find hours of enjoyment here. For the discriminating music listener, this CD is a must. So dig in.

This work is unlike anything you have ever heard. Don't expect crashing metal or purely instrumental classical or straight rock, this music is alternative in the true sense of the word.

First of all, it is just two tracks, Moya and Bbf3 (strange already?) each of which is above 10 minutes in length. Each track has movements, repeating themes, slow sections, energetic sections, all tied together with an absolutely amazing progression. I don't know how they do it, but each track seems to flow so smoothly from one part to the next that it totally takes you in. Depending on your current tastes in music, you might consider this progression glacially slow for a rock song, or too speedy for a classical piece, but remember that it is neither. I personally feel that the progression is perfect, neither too slow nor too fast, lingering on each theme for exactly enough time to get explore it properly and develop it, then having a smooth, beautiful transition to the next.

OK, enough of this technical stuff, how does this music make you feel? There is definitely an emotional quality to the music. Calling this music depressing would be like saying the Golden Gate Bridge is orange. I mean, yes, there is definitely an element of depression, sadness, and loneliness, but to say that is all is missing an entire aspect of it. There is also some glimmer of hope, and incredible tension and excitement at some points. "Inspiring" also comes to mind, though not in a typical way. The lyrics (if they can be called that) in the second track are an interview with a man who I think you will agree is very...weird. But the way the music is arranged it seems like it is responding to what he is saying in a most peculiar way...even though at first listen it may seem like there is no connection.

If you can't handle anything with tracks longer than 3 minutes, this is not for you, but definitely try this CD if you want to hear something completely different, inspiring, musically beautiful, and thought-provoking.

This record is quite simply amazing. 3 guitars, 2 basses, violin, cello and 2 percussionists take the listener on a journey through empty highways, lost loves and hard times, yet always the music drives forward...a dreary picture with an optimistic theme. Masterful melodies, astounding dynamics, and brilliantly composed music, this is something you will listen to over and over again, and contrary to another review Godspeed You Black Emperor sounds absolutely nothing like Mogwai. I don't recall Mogwai having a strings section, 20 minute pieces, or creating anything that even remotely resembles this. I suppose the biggest difference is that this is really good.

If you are into ground breaking music don't even bother to read this review. Go and buy it now.

The first time I listened to this album I did not know what to expect. I bought the album without hearing a single note from the band, but I heard they were very good so I decided to go for it. I was NOT dissapointed. This album is amazing. Both of the songs build and build and build and they reach these amazing climaxes, and then you are let down with a drop.

This is one of those album were the music is so good, it is almost like you had written it yourself.

The E.P. breathes quietly with an ambient pendulum and one solitary oboe. Resting peacefully like anyone who knows that they don't have to get up and do anything but stay in bed with a warm duvet. The string section wakes a bit, keeping one eye on the dreamworld, and the other on possibilities. Hovering wind-like noises and subleties lay about the background like fog, swarming around the great beast. It almost seems like it's building to something, but then, silence, death, nothing. Out of the nothing comes the glistening eyes of the beast, blinking periodically to show it knows you're here. It stirs and rises, elegantly and gracefully, which might seem impossible for such a creature. Stands to it's greatest height, and begins to dance, beautifully, with a strenght never seen before. Swelling, the beast quickens it pace, not losing it's grace, building, rushing, and then finally exploding into an indescribible leap of absolute exultation, which, although brief , is one of the most amazing experiences anyone will ever know. Bask in the afterglow, knowing that there is another bound upcoming. It leaps again, this time more perfect than the last... And then silence. The fog stirs again. Darkness. Track 2. A scary paranoid psycho who worries about the states, interviewed on a street corner in the U.S. He was speeding, got caught, had to go to court. Told off the judge. This is beautiful. There is still other ambiences pulsing and swaying in the midst of this idiot. The paranoid guy rambles on some more, showing that the world is not all wonderful. There are those who would do nothing but hate. He seems to have shut up for a second. Nothing. Sleep? No. It reprises once more, slowly building again, like folds in satin or the tides of the sea. So smooth and effortless. Building, growing again, mutating, changing, like a flower blooming, with bright colors being held up by a sturdy stem. Twisting and pulling in different ways until it has pulled itself apart like taffy. Oh no, the idiot's back. This time talking about his guns! Yay. I hate this man. But there is a hope! There's an engine behind this, humming, stonger than this fool and his paranoid anger. What a terrible poem he's written. Don't worry, I can see the beast again, stirring, you know that it will consume this small-minded man, no matter how many guns he has. It raises it's giant head and destroys him in one gesture, swallows him whole, and ends all of his hate. Leaps one final time in acceptance of the joy in the world, knowing full well that it has destroyed all the hate. Love. It lands with such wonderful grace and then bows out with modesty, it's task well done. Now, finally, it is time for sleep... thank you.

Can't say enough. This is a masterpiece, pure and simple. I'm a fan of the "post-rock" genre; Explosions, Mogwai, Do Make Say Think, etc. In my opinion -- these bands, though I love them deeply in my heart, just can't morph into the plane Godspeed YBE! often reaches. Well, that isn't entirely true; Mogwai, for example, CAN, but their problem is they never quite do it for an extended period of time. For 30 straight minutes, "Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada!" provides meditative, thought-provoking music that is at once indispensible for its musical prowess, but really, a masterwork because it manages to evoke an unprecedented amount of self-induced abstract thought.

Godspeed YBE! seems to be classified as pretentious or self-indulgent more often than I'd prefer to see. My response to that? Who cares. Is the band's intent obvious? Without question. Attacking the current state of the world (musically) in all its missteps and overall anguish is not a difficult thing to do, in theory. Anyone with a brain (and perhaps a heart) can look around and witness the contrast between what Humanity has become, and what Humanity could be. What makes Godspeed YBE! so wonderful, however, is that they do it properly -- with intellect, sincerity, honesty, devestation, and a general sense of idealism that is so far from currently being met one can't help but be moved during the album's apt running time. They do it on such a large scale that it really defies description; very few pieces of modern music seem to be able to so perfectly capture the sort of existential emotions that are as large as Life itself. Here, we have them.

So really, where one might criticize Godspeed YBE!'s overall intention, I would merely say that it's done with such profundity that any real sense of self-indulgence is transcended because this is, in my opinion, selfless music. It's just a matter of perception. Like other great pieces of art, Godspeed YBE! is finding the utmost brilliance possible within an existence that doesn't come close to meeting it. Within the despair is a gleaming sense of hope that noone can take away from us. This is not depressing music -- it is empowering and cathartic.

"Slow Riot" proves to be my favorite Godspeed YBE! album because I believe here they mastered their formula, somewhat described above. Musically, it is mesmerizing. "Moya" is my favorite piece the band has ever written, and while "Blaise Bailey Finnegan III" isn't quite as memorable or pop-natured, it is easily the more evocatively constructed work. The band's previous album, "F#A# Infinity", was heavy but erratic, and never reached any sort of climax the way "Slow Riot" manages to. Likewise, "Lift Your Skinny Fists", while providing some moments of musical genius, is by-and-large a far less emotive and cerebral a work. "Yanqui Y.X.O.", quite frankly, just doesn't do it for me, and even more so than this album, finds its merit simply within what it's trying to convey opposed to a good deal of musical warrant.

I'm going off the deep end here but I just want to say that this album is close to me -- perhaps more so than any other. Godspeed YBE! might be my favorite band if only for this album -- as I said, their others, despite flashes of Godliness, are too flawed. The band's spin-off group, "A Silver Mt. Zion", fares better overall, and anyone who finds a home within Godspeed YBE!'s realm of music should go buy every one of SMZ's works. Nonetheless, this is a dreamy, romantic, introspective look at the world around us, and endlessly impresses me each time I listen to it.

I have always thought, and still do to this very day, that "BBF3" is the most powerful piece of music ever recorded. It's like the depth and power of _Lift Your Skinny Fists_ and the absolute majesty and divinity of _Lateralus_ coalesced and condensed into a solitary 15-minute piece that defies the preconceptions of how deeply something as ubiquitous as music can affect the human spirit and forever alter the mindset of an individual. yeah, it's the best song ever.