Wednesday, September 22, 2010

A Brief Overview Of Godspeed You! Black Emperor

By Mark Floyd

Hailing from Montreal in Canada, Godspeed You! Black Emperor is post-rock music group. They are generally known for their visual and extensive live shows and lengthy instrumental songs. Their performances and recordings mostly consist of percussion instruments and electric guitars yet more obscure instruments such as glockenspiels and French horns have made appearances as well.

The band got their name from an ambiguous Japanese film about a motorcycle gang, the "Black Emperors". The number of people in the group is never given, ranging anywhere from 9 to 20 at any given moment. The group was on a lengthy break for a few years so that its various members could focus on other endeavors, though they are scheduled to perform together at an upcoming English festival.

Everyone in the group considers the music to be far bigger than the band, which helps to explain their constantly changing numbers and lack of a leader. There is also a harsh moratorium on band photos and magazine interviews. The seemingly odd behavior is a way for appreciators to get nearer to the music, instead of focusing on minor details.

The more well known members of GYBE stress in their rare interviews that multinational corporations are what is wrong with the media industry and the American economy in general. In fact, many of their album and song linear notes reference the wrongdoings of the corporate media. On their latest album, an image was included on the back art work that linked several record labels to America's military-industrial complex.

Fans of GYBE cite their live performances as random and exciting occurrences. Because the band employs no singers they utilize scores of visual imageries in all of their shows. The films are meant to tie the message and the music together for the watching audience and are most often produced and recorded by a group member.

In the early 2000s, GYBE's band mates were mistaken for a band of criminals in a rural Oklahoma town. The group and their crew was caravaning through the mid-west on tour when, at a small gas station, an employee became convinced that they were terrorists. The authorities were called after the station attendant got another customer to call them.

When the local police arrived at the scene, they found anarchist papers in both of the bands' two vehicles. These items, added with the bands general appearance prompted the officers to alert the FBI. The group members were quickly held and personally questioned for a few hours before the investigators decided to release them. And although Godspeed made it to their next scheduled tour date in time, the event most likely fueled their anti-government ideologies.

The band has released three recorded albums since the early 90s. In that time they have also put out a number of EPs and singles. And since they encourage their fans to film their live shows, several of their songs have reached the internet without ever having been officially recorded. Although extremely rare, the group has lent a couple of songs to a small number of film soundtracks as well. - 40723

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