F# A# ∞

The first time I heard Godspeed You! Black Emperor was at my old college dorm in Montreal. My friend wanted to show me this fantastic "indie" band and, while I was incredulous, I wanted to be open minded and let him put it on.

Boy was I ever surprised.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor, if nothing else, should be noted for their sheer musical ingenuity and daring. In a culture of music that, no matter the genre, resigns itself to set musical instrumentation, structure and composition, this collective dares to produce music that is ingenious and inventive in every way imaginable. The pieces are 15 to 30 minute musical soundscapes. There is "conventional" music, relying heavily on elements of minimalism and utilizing dynamics to great effect, interwoven with spoken word, sound clips and other assorted "noise" that is the closest thing you will ever hear to a musical picture. The experience is sublime, to say the least.

While fans of post-rock will quickly identify with some of the more structured parts of Godspeed You!'s music, this is truly a progressive album. The sheer cathartic release from this album is unparalleled, and it is not an exaggeration to say it is one of the best albums I have ever heard, period.