chimx
6th October 2006, 20:19
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d3/Liftyrskinnyfists.jpg
link removed by Dr. Rosenpenis
Godspeed You Black Emperor (GYBE) is generally considered a post-rock band based out of Montreal Quebec. Post-rock is generally considered a genre defined by being both instrumental (sans vocals), but also moving away from traditional instrumentation. guitars aren't used to belt out power chords, but instead are used to add texture and layer to the song. In a sense, post-rock is musically conservative, returning to the pre-rock roots of music.
The removal of vocals I find to be particularly important. There is a tendency to anthromorphize music in todays day and age through out extensive reliance on sung melody. We relate to bands not based on the merits of the actual music and art, but through words put to melody. Music for the past 60+ years has always tended to hold a very "human" quality.
While this makes for easily digestable songs for our anthropocentric brains, it is done so at the expense (often) of musical quality. Notes have become a secondary quality to the vocal relation. No wonder why music videos are so quick to show the singer with faceless musicians behind him or her, or why we make celebrities out of vocalists but not as much as the musician.
The problem with post-rock, however, is that it too often lives on in the shadow of rock. We continue to presume that it is necessary to have a guitar or two, with a percussionist, perhaps a keyboard, to create musical layers. While some may say that post-rock bands like Explosions in the Sky or Pelican take a more "minimalistic" attempt at layering their organic sounds, I would say they simply fail to fully disregard the rock influence on their music.
This is why I see Godspeed You Black Emperor as being one of the better post-rock outfits out there. There music is incredibly orchestral. They succeed where others have failed, to bring the attention back to the music--back to the art of composition. Their rejection of anthropomorphic musicianship leaves us with a organicaly pagan experience, leaving us feeling more like Stravinsky than the Beatles.
Though this is one track, it is over 20 minutes long and is broken up into 4 different movements:
1st movement: lift your skinny fists, like antennas to heaven... [00:00 - 06:15]
2nd movement: gathering storm [06:15 - 17:25]
3rd movement: "welcome to barco am/pm..." [l.a.x.; 5/14/00] [17:25 - 18:40]
4th movement: cancer towers on holy road hi-way [18:40 - 22:32]
I should also say, since this is RevLeft, that most of the members of this band are anarchists, some of whom (i believe the drummer) have been active with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. Many have side projects, including bands such as "Bakunin's Bum".
link removed by Dr. Rosenpenis
Godspeed You Black Emperor (GYBE) is generally considered a post-rock band based out of Montreal Quebec. Post-rock is generally considered a genre defined by being both instrumental (sans vocals), but also moving away from traditional instrumentation. guitars aren't used to belt out power chords, but instead are used to add texture and layer to the song. In a sense, post-rock is musically conservative, returning to the pre-rock roots of music.
The removal of vocals I find to be particularly important. There is a tendency to anthromorphize music in todays day and age through out extensive reliance on sung melody. We relate to bands not based on the merits of the actual music and art, but through words put to melody. Music for the past 60+ years has always tended to hold a very "human" quality.
While this makes for easily digestable songs for our anthropocentric brains, it is done so at the expense (often) of musical quality. Notes have become a secondary quality to the vocal relation. No wonder why music videos are so quick to show the singer with faceless musicians behind him or her, or why we make celebrities out of vocalists but not as much as the musician.
The problem with post-rock, however, is that it too often lives on in the shadow of rock. We continue to presume that it is necessary to have a guitar or two, with a percussionist, perhaps a keyboard, to create musical layers. While some may say that post-rock bands like Explosions in the Sky or Pelican take a more "minimalistic" attempt at layering their organic sounds, I would say they simply fail to fully disregard the rock influence on their music.
This is why I see Godspeed You Black Emperor as being one of the better post-rock outfits out there. There music is incredibly orchestral. They succeed where others have failed, to bring the attention back to the music--back to the art of composition. Their rejection of anthropomorphic musicianship leaves us with a organicaly pagan experience, leaving us feeling more like Stravinsky than the Beatles.
Though this is one track, it is over 20 minutes long and is broken up into 4 different movements:
1st movement: lift your skinny fists, like antennas to heaven... [00:00 - 06:15]
2nd movement: gathering storm [06:15 - 17:25]
3rd movement: "welcome to barco am/pm..." [l.a.x.; 5/14/00] [17:25 - 18:40]
4th movement: cancer towers on holy road hi-way [18:40 - 22:32]
I should also say, since this is RevLeft, that most of the members of this band are anarchists, some of whom (i believe the drummer) have been active with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. Many have side projects, including bands such as "Bakunin's Bum".