“War is Coming. Don’t Give Up. Pick A Side. Hang On. Love.” So has been the adage of Montreal post-rock titans, Godspeed You! Black Emperor for many years and those statements have never been more true. Half of the world is on fire; two perpetual, ongoing, wars, the planet continues to wither, CEOs get richer while the poor quickly fade. It’s bleak times and has been for a while post-Covid, so without any build-up or hype (save for a random press release to music journalists worldwide), Godspeed dropped NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD in October, a perfect time for their signature brand of fiery, instrumental droney protest hymns.
The album begins strong with the opener “SUN IS A HOLE SUN IS VAPORS,” as guitar player Efrim Manuel Menuck’s frenetic and reverb-tinged lead guitar lines immediately pull you in, as an orchestra of strings, percussion, and heavy bass fills the air. It’s a short track for Godspeed, clocking in at five minutes and 30 seconds, but the interplay between strings and guitar is honey for the soul and makes way for the next track “BABY’S IN A THUNDERCLOUD,” a 13 and half minute epic that could easily take a spot on Godspeed’s top songs, hitting as hard as a crowd pleaser like “Mladic.” The moment the strings take root and bounce off the slide guitar, there is absolutely no escape from this movement. It may sound nothing like it, but it feels like the first time you’ve heard the majesty of Rachmaninoff’s famous piano concerto. And then we’re hit with “RAINDROPS CAST IN LEAD,” which eventually gets pretty heavy, but never loses the orchestral element. You feel the decades of experience this band has paling with each other and it’s truly marvelous.
As with all Godspeed works, NO TITLE... is best enjoyed while you are completely present, looking for a sonic escape to transport you from the daily grind. Sure it could be played as background music, but there are aspects you will miss and not fully appreciate. The full album needs to be listened to in one sitting as well, something escaping the modern way of listening to music, but Godspeed has always circumnavigated the popular way to do things.
