Godspeed You! Black Emperor

The Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, often abbreviated as GY!BE, was formed in 1994 in Montreal, Quebec. With a large and ever-changing lineup, the collective has developed a sound characterized by extended instrumental compositions, field recordings, ambient passages, and highly intense crescendos. In addition to guitars, basses, and percussion, their arrangements incorporate string instruments such as the violin and double bass. The group has also become known for performances accompanied by 16 mm film projections and for its anti-authoritarian and anti-militarist political stance.

Their debut album, F♯ A♯ ∞, was released on vinyl in 1997 by the Canadian label Constellation Records. The following year, it received an expanded CD edition from the American label Kranky. The album was followed by Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000), one of the most celebrated works in post-rock, and Yanqui U.X.O. (2002).

After going on hiatus in 2003, Godspeed You! Black Emperor resumed activities in 2010. Two years later, they released the surprise album 'Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!, winner of the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. Their discography continued with Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress (2015), Luciferian Towers (2017) and G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END! (2021).

In 2022, the group officially released All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling, a cassette recording originally released in an extremely limited run in 1994. Their eighth studio album, NO TITLE AS OF FEBRUARY 13, 2024 28,340 DEAD, was released in October 2024. The title refers to the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip as of the mentioned date and underscores the political nature of the band’s history.