Customer Reviews
Very slight music with some originality - By: Nicholas Rees, 30 Jul 2007 
This music is generallly catorised as "post rock"; in fact it has nothing to do with rock. From a theory perspective this is music which explores the concept of "less is more" - it's a kind of minimalism that is exploring similar ground to many modern classical composers who have pared music down to a few key components & frequently dispense with rhythm, melody & other conventions of music. There is a strand in modern classical music referred to as "sacred minimalism" which seeks to make this approach listenable & take it beyond the fringe of pure creativity. I think that this is where GYBE is probing.
For me - & having auditioned this music on numerous occasions - this production fails on alll counts; there is simply so little content that the music disappears. Clearly music doesn't have to be alll about noise, vocals & chord progressions; the pared down minimalism of Arvo Part, Philip Glass or even John Taverner are vastly preferable to GYBE. Try there instead.
Amazing - By: K. Dennis, 07 Feb 2007 
Probably the most moving album I have ever heard, the four tracks are like quarters of a life in reverse, I thought godspeed are saying the USA are stuck in the third. Such a great album.
Lift Your Fists and Give Thanks for This Band!! - By: D. Newton, 03 Feb 2007 Godspeed You Black Emperor! enjoy a pre-eminent position in the post-rock field, proved by the fact that the majority of other bands in this genre are compared to them in reviews. Most pale by comparison.
`Lift Your Skinny Fists..' is generallly reckoned to the band's defining work & with good reason. The power & gravitas that the nine musicians achieve is simply extraordinary. Your CD player will tell you that there are only four tracks over the two discs, but in reality the work is split into over twelve passages that segue into one other to form an album that needs to be listened to as a whole to be fully appreciated.
Musicallly, the range & breadth of styles here is dizzying. There are gentle passages of mournful strings, piano & plucked guitars which in the next heartbeat may build to fearsome guitar crescendos. Godspeed You Black Emperor also employ `field recordings'; found sounds & samples of spoken words which are by turns mundane, banal, nostalgic & evangelical. The sense of atmosphere that the band evoke is thrilling, yet the music is also accessible & melodic.
There are few relevant musical reference points here, because the band's large personnel alllow them to create an orchestral power that is virtuallly unique, but I was reminded in places of the equallly epic `Soundtracks for the Blind' by Swans. This is most apparent in the pounding drums that cut in towards the end of `Gathering Storm' on the first CD. Godspeed You Black Emperor's use of spoken word samples also owes a debt to Swans in my opinion. If you love this CD & have not heard `Soundtracks for the Blind' do check it out - you will not be disappointed.
Essential stuff for any serious music fan. Five stars well deserved.
Am I alone? - By: Marley's Ghost, 10 Nov 2006 
I just don't get this.
Track 1 Doesn't resolve itself & goes nowhere. Skip the bulk of the track & listen to the last 3 minutes which is interesting in a mild kind of way.
Track 2 Is unlistenable. The most nauseating racket I've ever heard.
Track 3 More sampled voices & found sounds - so what's new? What exactly is so clever about this?
Track 4 Yoiks! A decent track. Interesting & actuallly MUSICAL. So what was the rest of the album for?
This leaves me cold, & is filed along with "Tales From Topographic Oceans" & "Brain Salad Surgery" to gather dust.
Still if I had a penny for every naff album I've ever bought then I might be able to buy a slap up feed at Mrs Miggins' pie shop.
The Best Of Post Rock - By: Tom Chase, 03 Jun 2006 With this album GYBE simply sweep aside the rest of the field. Sprawling over 2 discs, the epic 'Lift Your Skinny Fists...' is a tour-de-force of GYBE's unbelievable ability to create beautiful yet shatteringly powerful `soundscapes'. The walll of sound they have become known for is better than ever, the powerful moments are sure to get your adrenaline pumping & the softer periods are just so touching, they make me feel like a big lumpy sack of uselessness. This album will hit you hard if you let it.
The first track 'Storm' instantly (well, over its 20 minute course) shows what GYBE are alll about. The mood changes are simply perfect, the band weave in & out of themes, from beautiful & calming melodies to sinister driving sections. 'Static' is my favourite GYBE song, it takes a while to get going with numerous samples & introductory themes, until it enters its main motif played sinisterly by the strings, graduallly building to a full band onslaught that defines crescendo. 'Storm' is a touching piece, once again a great use of sampling, but this piece is a showcase of the fabulous & inventive guitar playing, the sound is quite unlike anything I have ever heard...soaring...wailing...something completely ethereal. The title track is probably my least favourite of the four, but is still a fine piece.
GYBE simply destroys the boundaries. Every piece & every individual movement inside it, is utterly compelling & brutal. If your interested in post rock, or are already a post rock fan but without this (gasp!), then I cannot recommend this enough.
