REVIEW: Godspeed You! Black Emperor - NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024, 28,340 DEAD

Godspeed You! Black Emperor should need absolutely no introduction. Since the releases of their ambitious debut ‘F# A# ∞’ in 1997, and even more so since their magnum opus ‘Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven’ was unveiled at the turn of the millennium, the group have garnered nothing but praise for their lengthy arrangements and beautiful instrumental layering, as well as for the sheer emotiveness of their music. Proudly displaying and sharing anarchist ideas and books at their live shows, none of the band’s lineups have ever shied away from political commentary, instead always striving to connect their abstract works to the real world. The group’s latest album, ‘NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024, 28,340 DEAD,’ is a clearly indication that this mission has remained: the title contains the death toll in Palestine as of the given date, for one. Clearly, Godspeed are continuing to make music with meaning, even if the music itself hasn’t changed all too much.

Perhaps the most beloved aspect of Godspeed’s discography is how the band have, time and time again, captured moods and atmospheres so distinctly, whether it be the hopeful crescendo of ‘Storm’ or the resigned despair of ‘The Dead Flag Blues.’ As one might expect, the group’s newest album is no less emotionally charged, with the promotional text stating ‘War is coming. Don’t give up. Pick a side. Hang on. Love.’ The project’s more ethereal, inspiring moments shine through as strongly as ever - the pleasant melodic lines of ‘SUN IS A HOLE SUN IS VAPORS,’ the beautifully romantic violins of ‘RAINDROPS CAST IN LEAD’ and the heavenly closer ‘GREY RUBBLE - GREEN SHOOTS’ are all gorgeous in their own ways - but it’s in the more despairing, hopeless moments that ‘NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024, 28,340 DEAD’ really shines. ‘BABYS IN A THUNDERCLOUD’ continues to build and build for the first seven minutes, reaching a momentous climax with an ambiguous emotion to it. When the track falls away to an isolated guitar and haunting strings, however, it plunges the song into an almost claustrophobically dismal atmosphere.

This feeling is only expanded upon on ‘BROKEN SPIRAL AT DEAD KAPITAL’ and ‘PALE SPECTATOR TAKES PHOTOGRAPHERS,’ which were originally the first two parts of a longer track entitled ‘Flames.’ Combining ominous, droning bass notes with grumbling guitars and unsettling electronic sounds, the album is taken to its most terrifying of heights, where the vertigo is almost unbearable. The album is similarly wonderful musically, exploring its rising and falling emotional changes via shifting instrumentation. Many of the record’s quieter moments are filled with ambient sounds and distorted samples, blending spoken word and thunderclaps into the palate. These often fade away into more natural instrumentation, and what a lovely display it is: Godspeed fuse the distorted guitars and bass of a noise rock band with the swelling percussion and gentle strings of a pit orchestra, creating a truly intoxicating listen.

The simple but effective melodies of ‘SUN IS A HOLE SUN IS VAPORS’ set up the album’s sonic palate beautifully, while the hopeful top line of ‘BABYS IN A THUNDERCLOUD’ contrasts the dark underscoring superbly. It must be said, however, that none of this is new for Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and many of these elements have been explored much more thoroughly and effectively throughout the band’s discography. While the album’s crescendos are often very satisfying and well-earned, they feel almost muted and withheld compared to the likes of ‘Storm,’ for example, and the LP’s orchestral offerings have arguably grown a little safe, so late in Godspeed’s career. Even if you had never heard any of the group’s previous output, we’d wager that the feeling would still linger that many of the album’s best ideas and moments could be taken much further— if a listener did feel this way, they would be delighted in checking out Godspeed’s first few records.

‘NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024, 28,340 DEAD’ continues Godspeed’s tradition of emotional, heartfelt projects that unfortunately lie in the shadow of the group’s momentous releases. Drawing on the tragedy and melancholy of modern times, the album is, no doubt, a genuine and wonderful listen, sporting enough sweeping instrumental progressions and ambient magic to satisfy even the most stone-faced of post-rock fans. It may be nothing new for the band, but it hardly needs to be: the record’s ability to capture today’s pervading sense of hopelessness is proof enough of its success.

‘NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024, 28,340 DEAD’ will be released on October 4th via Constellation Records.

Words: Jay Kirby

Photo: Yannick Grandmont