There is no trivial war, according to Godspeed You! Black Emperor (GY!BE), who understands the clashes of our world and the looming apocalypses on the horizon. The band’s album, released October 4th, is titled “NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD” (2024), referencing the estimated death toll of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war as of the date above.
GY!BE is more comparable to an orchestra than a traditional rock group. Their music is built around cycles of crescendos and diminuendos rather than a repetition of chorus and verse. They never use singers or voices. The sounds are most likely clips from either street interviews or random sound bites. Their music is best experienced when played at an uncomfortable volume, where the collective instruments convey an all-consuming wave of blissful noise. It resembles a religious undertaking, transporting the listener to a new dimension where music is godliness.
Spanning 54 minutes, “NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD” is six songs long — a similar length to their 2021 album “G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END!” Unlike that album, their newest release barely sees a light at the end of the tunnel, smothering the ears with rage and unadulterated grief. No joy is present in any of the track titles.
The album begins with “SUN IS A HOLE SUN IS VAPORS,” one of the shorter and arguably more uplifting tracks. The opening song invites the listener in before descending into destruction and sadness. At first, indecipherable whispers pass through, followed by a reverberating droning and the introduction of shining guitar riffs and repeating violins. Behind these instruments, sounds akin to palm trees waving in the breeze, gentle metallic taps and booming percussion play. The song follows no plot. Instead, it escorts the listener from the partially jovial to the utterly tragic.
“BABYS IN A THUNDERCLOUD” transforms that melancholia into a stricter, more dirge sound. A sonic storm brews, the wind bellowing and the thunder booming, but it fades to an overwhelming crackle. The true melody doesn’t start until you’ve sat with the thunder for three minutes. Then, the noise stops swerving and commits to a darker nature, letting the basic notes falter to the monstrous corners of the track as the violinists become more rapid and forceful in their playing. This force allows the ensemble to unify, which reflects the undesirable cruelty required for war.
In the third track “RAINDROPS CAST IN LEAD,” multiple tones battle for dominance. The track holds the listener with the sound of birds chirping but doesn’t hesitate to escalate the speed of its harmonic narrative. While still reliant on guitar, the most integral part of “RAINDROPS CAST IN LEAD” is its ceaseless percussion. The fighting comes from moments of pause, like when a woman can be heard speaking and the music falters. As the piece closes out, it screeches at the listener, like an animal clinging to its fleeting moments of life.
“BROKEN SPIRES AT DEAD KAPITAL,” the shortest song in the album, drowns listeners in hatred and woe. There is no bright spirit present as the subtle paranoia of violins underscores the bass. These instruments carry into the album’s highlight, “PALE SPECTATOR TAKES PHOTOGRAPHS,” an eerie track that drives home the warped horror of mass tragedy.
Finally, the record closes with “GREY RUBBLE — GREEN SHOOTS.” From the hopeless droning of “PALE SPECTATOR TAKES PHOTOGRAPHS”, it transitions into an immediate surge of standout guitar playing. The parting song finishes with a harsh outlook on the future by closing with the fading ripples of the various string instruments. Nevertheless, GY!BE turns toward hope at the end.
“NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD” is another potent work from Godspeed You! Black Emperor. If you are interested in a band that does not rely on conventional music or melody, whose work is as enjoyable as it is sad and whose message about social turmoil is uncompromising, give “NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD” a listen.
