is this even a song of the week? should it be an album of the month?
godspeed you! black emperor is a post-rock ‘band’ from montreal, quebec, formed in 1994. the band has over ten members, and i’m not going to name them all, but for the majority of its existence, it has been led by composer efrim menuck (guitar/keyboards). the vast majority of their music is instrumental, and they have garnered a cult following for their atmospheric, cinematic movements. for this reason, i think it’s more appropriate to call them an orchestra built from rock instruments.
their most famous albums are 1997’s F♯ A♯ ∞ and 2000’s Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven. Lift Your… has had a massive internet following on platforms like rateyourmusic and 4-chan, being lauded as a masterpiece for its beautiful, expansive post-rock.
Lift Your… is a bit of a weird album, with 4 songs that are further divided into parts. each of these songs are over 15 minutes in length. “Sleep” is 23 minutes long and is by far the longest song i’ve reviewed on here. it’s split into three parts:
- murray ostril: ‘they don’t sleep anymore on the beach…’ (0:00-1:10)
- monheim (1:10-13:24)
- broken windows, locks of love, pt. iii (13:24-23:18)
murray ostril/part i is a short, cryptic monologue by a new yorker describing the decline of coney island, from this kind of global wonderland to a desolate, abandoned place. it nicely sets up the main themes of the more ambitious instrumentals in parts ii and iii.
monheim/part ii slowly progresses from calm chords and melancholic violins to a rapid assault of sound with ringing guitars being played by screwdrivers. from what i understand, like part i, it represents decay. but rather than fizzling out, it’s the chaotic, violent destruction of the world. part ii is impressive; though its length, which is over 12 minutes, is somewhat unnecessary. i don’t believe the musicals have enough complexity or depth to be worth that span of time, but what godspeed you! black emperor managed to do as a whole for this part is still commendable.
broken windows/part iii is surprisingly mellow, and it relies on triumphant horns, swooning violins, and music-box plinking to drive its point home. while it sounds quite different from part ii, it follows a similar crescendoing structure, except it settles back into pleasant tranquility before surging , whereas part ii devolves into distorted madness. it represents hope and recovery, and it’s a surprisingly pleasant note to end the song with. part iii is my personal favorite; it’s much more effective with its length and builds a more specific atmosphere that reminds me very much of rain. it also has more movement than the more straightforward monheim, shifting between flowing calmness and thundering victory.
overall, “Sleep” is a pretty solid track, but it’s almost limited by its use of conventional rock instruments. for its dramatic subject matter, about destruction and creation and the world, it is grounded by a very human sound: it’s not ethereal, it’s not excessive, it’s not overwhelming. and for an album about human resilience and hope, hey, maybe that’s not a bad thing.
p.s.: godspeed you! black emperor has removed their work on most streaming platforms except for bandcamp.
