LIFT YOUR SKINNY FISTS LIKE ANTENNAS TO HEAVEN

If you look at the reviews of this album, you can quickly realize how divisive it is. While I think it's an irrefutable masterpiece and the best post-rock album ever made, some others think it's an eighty minute snoozefest. I think it all depends on the approach you give it, Godspeed You! Black Emperor really isn't a very accessible band and a record with four long, drone infested, atmospheric tracks wasn't going to appeal most classic prog rock fans who enjoy listening a Hammond keyboard wank for an entire album.

With that said, the importance of this album to this genre is monumental. I really can't say another post-rock record released before was as ambitious and bold as this one, and it influenced the genre by proclaiming itself as the most quintessential post-rock record. Lots of build ups, lots of droning, lots of atmospheric sections, lots of talked sections, no vocals, all the properties that can be heard in post-rock can be found in this album.

I understand if you don't like this record, but saying that it's a 1 or 2 star record is wrong considering how important it is to its genre. I'm giving it five stars because it is an essential record and because I absolutely love it.