Despite there only being three songs on the entire album, this CD still manages to clock up over an hours worth of listening time, and what an hour it is. I had something of a musical epiphany when I first heard The Dead Flag blues, I knew I had to explore the genre and the band as much as I possibly could, just in case there were other instances of such rare musical perfection as this that I didn... read more
Description:Amazon.com's Best of 1998
On first listen, Montreal collective Godspeed You Black Emporer sounds familiar, like sonic-landscape architects the Dirty Three. But pay closer attention to this debut full-length and you'll find something much more compelling: G.Y.B.E. mix found sounds, voices, lilting string sections, and musique concrèteAmazon.com's Best of 1998
On first listen, Montreal collective Godspeed You Black Emporer sounds familiar, like sonic-landscape architects the Dirty Three. But pay closer attention to this debut full-length and you'll find something much more compelling: G.Y.B.E. mix found sounds, voices, lilting string sections, and musique concrète into structures that tell a story. With each listen, a new plot twist is unraveled, a new movie sample identified--you start to listen closely with headphones to pick up new subtleties you couldn't hear previously. Three tracks, a bit over an hour, of great music that defies categorization. --Jason Verlinde
It's hard to imagine this disc coming out of Montreal or, really, any urban habitat. The postrock instrumentals on f#a#(infinity symbol), distantly related to the sounds made by the Australian band Dirty Three, serve as walking music for a loner hoping to hitch a ride in the middle of the Arizona desert and dealing with the inevitability of another night in coyote territory. Godspeed's swelling array of guitars, bagpipes, cellos, violins, trumpets, and drums is riveted together with an understated hope that is emotionally clutching, often devastating. This core of heavy Midwestern stoicism, saturated with waves of strings, hardcore interludes, and ripples of Morricone guitar, leaves listeners with the understanding that there is no escape from the badlands that surround and permeate us. --Michael Woodring
"There are a lot of boring parts, but a lot of excellent exciting as well parts, not to mention that amazing monologue in the beginning. Still, I feel it's to heavily flawed for me to rate it higher"
"Official début album, released by Constellation Records.
Tracks
1. "The Dead Flag Blues"
* "The Dead Flag Blues (Intro)"
* "Slow Moving Trains"
* "The Cowboy…"
* "The Dead Flag Blues (Outro)"
Running time: 16:27
2. "East Hastings"
* "…Nothing's Alrite in Our Life…"/"The Dead Flag Blues (Reprise)"
* "The Sad Mafioso…"
* "Drugs in Tokyo"
* "Black Helicopter"
Running time: 17:58
3. "Providence"
* "Divorce & Fever…"
* "Dead Metheny…"
* "
The Flagship added this to a list 4 years, 7 months ago
“Despite there only being three songs on the entire album, this CD still manages to clock up over an hours worth of listening time, and what an hour it is. I had something of a musical epiphany when I first heard The Dead Flag blues, I knew I had to explore the genre and the band as much as I possibly could, just in case there were other instances of such rare musical perfection as this that I didn't know about. Three years later and my search is still going strong and I have reaped the rewards of some marvellous music.
Back to this album. It starts with a tremendous song that dredges through the deepest mires of depression in a post-apocalyptic world. It has to be heard to be believed. A dour monologue is read over strings that slowly build into a tragic and melancholic rhythm th” read more
karmacomatic added this to a list 5 years, 8 months ago
Explore
Join Listal
Movies
TV Shows
DVDs
Music
Books
Games
Lists
Reviews
Images
68 comments
Vinyls & CDs
100 Best Albums Of 90's (With Favourite Tracks)
Listening Log for 2012
Listal's 100 Greatest Albums
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Discography
Evolution of taste: Undergraduate
