About Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band that originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation, an independent record label also located in Montreal.
The group released their debut album F♯ A♯ ∞, in 1997 and toured regularly from 1998 to 2003. Their second album Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven received critical acclaim and has been named as one of the best albums of the decade. Following the release of Yanqui U.X.O. , the band went on hiatus in 2003 to pursue other musical interests.
The band was rumored to have broken up, but reformed in 2010. Their first post-reunion album Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! won the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. This was followed by Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress , Luciferian Towers , G_d's Pee at State's End! and No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead .
The band has a dedicated cult following and is renowned for being influential in the post-rock genre. Their music, mainly instrumental in nature, has been noted for its contrasts between ambient soundscapes and chaotic crescendos; use of field recordings and spoken word monologues; and focus on dystopian, anarchist and anti-war themes. Members of the group have formed a number of side projects, including Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, Fly Pan Am, HṚṢṬA, Esmerine, and Set Fire to Flames.
One of the band's best known songs, "East Hastings", from their 1997 album F♯ A♯ ∞, was used in the 2002 film 28 Days Later. However, it does not appear on the film's soundtrack because the rights to the song could not be obtained.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor was formed in 1994 in Montreal, Quebec, by Efrim Menuck , Mike Moya , and Mauro Pezzente . The band took its name from God Speed You! Black Emperor, a 1976 Japanese black-and-white documentary by director Mitsuo Yanagimachi, which follows the exploits of a Japanese biker gang, the Black Emperors. The band initially assembled after being offered a supporting act for another local band named Steak 72. Thereafter, the trio performed live on a few separate occasions. Previously, the name "God Speed You Black Emperor!" had been used by Menuck on a limited cassette entitled All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling that had been recorded the year prior, with limited contributions by Pezzente on bass, although it would not be until 1994 that the actual band formed.
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