#fainfinity

The gruff male voice speaks, “I said, ‘Kiss me you’re beautiful / These are truly the last days,’“ into echoes of guitar notes and swelling acoustic drones. These are the sounds of a culture in decline – not the fictional apocalypse that comes with one explosive blow, but the slow decay of humanity we witness every day. And Godspeed react with a deeply sorrowful sound. Their long instrumental tracks ebb and flow, expand and contract with guitars, bowed strings, hypnotic percussion and other classical, rock and jazz instruments. They exist as a large group of musicians (about nine) who tend toward anonymity, collective creation and improvisation. Their records’ liner notes give little information about them and they keep their public presence to an unassuming minimum; their music is a well meaning. Ever-present throughout their recordings are poetic monologues and tapes of man-on-the-street cynical rants about politics and cultural oppression. In lieu of vocals, these passionate speeches and interviews are not didactic, but they create a texture of struggle – a match for their tense, wandering orchestrations.

- Napster

“Kiss me you’re beautiful / These are truly the last days” had been used in Godspeed You Black Emporor’s first song.

East Hastings is their second song that takes a more surreal approach to the post apocalyptic theme.

You grabbed my hand and we fell into it,

Bleak. The one word that can describe this album, is bleak. In fact, I made it about 6 minutes into the first track of this album during my first listen, and had to take a break because I felt sick. The music I heard scared me. I came back to it a little while later with the knowledge of what I was getting into and had a more pleasant experience.

Though the album is only three tracks long, it lasts more than an hour. In that hour, what you will hear will disturb you but it will make you better for it. It paints a picture of a very bleak future using samples of things from train sounds to the shouting of the homeless on the streets of Canada, the county the band is from. A mixture of these samples, guitar melodies, and spoken word pieces allow for an album that keeps you guessing at every turn.

Since the tracks making up the album are so few in numbers, but so long in run time, you notice less what tracks you like, but more what movements of songs you really like. For example, there is a movement in the first track The Dead Flag Blues that I really love, but my favorite movement is probably in the final track Providence.

This album is hard to hate. Aside from the few people that have just told me that it was boring, the only feedback I have received has been very positive. If you are looking for a place to start with this band, i'd say this is the album for you. Just, go into it with an open mind and be prepared for it to sting a little bit when you get finished.