Steve Favorite #14.5: Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada by Godspeed You Black Emperor!
Good lord, I'm flaky... I'm on the second entry in my list, and I'm already doing the .5 deal to squeeze some extras in... I keep looking over my list and realizing that I'm forgetting certain CDs that matter to me...
Second note before we roll this entry any further... Yeah, yeah, I can hear all the indie rock snobs saying, "Dude, you got the exclamation point in the wrong place!" though they'd probably type it as "wrong! place." Yeah, I know this isn't current location for the exclamation mark in GY!BE's name, but that's where it was when this EP came out in 99, so take a Prozac and chillax.
Now where was I before all this self-flagellation? Oh yeah, I was about to tell you about this CD I love...
But first, here's one of Steve's laws of music listening: There are some pieces of music that have to be listened to at 3 AM to be properly absorbed and understood. I think most people have established emotional walls, and they do not allow those walls to be easily penetrated. That's why a lot of art doesn't register with us -- we're not open to it. But at 3 AM, in the dark, with your headphones on, your walls are down. That's when music can reach in and worm it's way into your brain and heart. That's how it worked with Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada.
The first time I listened, I was less than impressed. I thought it was boring and self-indulgent. I thought the packaging was trying too hard to be mysterious. I thought the guy reciting his poetry was daffy. I really didn't care for it, to say the least.
What makes you reach for a certain CD to give it a second chance, especially when it's 3 in the morning and you woke up and can't go back to sleep? I'm not sure why, but I grabbed it one morning and put it in my portable CD player and relaxed on the couch with my headphones on. That's when it connected...
Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada is a 30 minute long EP consisting of 2 songs, "Moya" and "Bbf3" (my favorite of the two). Nowhere on any of the packaging does it say Godspeed You Black Emperor!, and the cover has Hebrew (I think) writing on it while the back cover has a diagram of a bottle. The inside has Jeremiah 4:23-27 in English and Hebrew, plus a paragraph of handwriting that at first glance is barely decipherable. Maybe I was too busy trying to figure out the packaging to enjoy the music the first time through?
The music critic intelligentsia love to write about GYBE! being angry. I've seen reviews mention angry music and even angry packaging (God forbid you should make your packaging out of cardboard, or else you're angry). With GYBE! being an instrumental group that occasionally runs tape loops and recordings with their music, I think it's a bit more subtle than that. For example, "Moya" seems to start off with sadness and longing and builds into frustration. Angry to me is when a song starts off angry and never relents. GYBE! runs through a range of emotions, and I think much of the time, the music reflects what the listener is feeling.
"Bbf3" showcases a street recording of a guy that many would consider to be part of the "black helicopter" crowd. It's a big anti-government screed, and it's fascinating how it mirrors the music. It begins very matter of fact, and builds to a crescendo with the guy reciting some of his anti-government poetry. When I listen to it, I feel like I'm on a city street with a guy who seems a little unhinged, but I can't stop listening to him and watching him. He's fascinating, though many would no doubt take offense at what he has to say. I'll just say I used to take more offense to it than I do now... What used to be curiosity factor is starting to make more sense to me... Dunno if that's a good thing or not... Addendum: According to several sites, the poem actually consists of lyrics from an Iron Maiden song. Score!
This EP is a masterpiece of emotion. It's beautiful, it's moving and it speaks to me in ways that music with vocals sometimes cannot. It stands up well to repeated listens. Can't say how well it will age, as it only came out in 99, but I hope it's not soon forgotten.
Second note before we roll this entry any further... Yeah, yeah, I can hear all the indie rock snobs saying, "Dude, you got the exclamation point in the wrong place!" though they'd probably type it as "wrong! place." Yeah, I know this isn't current location for the exclamation mark in GY!BE's name, but that's where it was when this EP came out in 99, so take a Prozac and chillax.
Now where was I before all this self-flagellation? Oh yeah, I was about to tell you about this CD I love...
But first, here's one of Steve's laws of music listening: There are some pieces of music that have to be listened to at 3 AM to be properly absorbed and understood. I think most people have established emotional walls, and they do not allow those walls to be easily penetrated. That's why a lot of art doesn't register with us -- we're not open to it. But at 3 AM, in the dark, with your headphones on, your walls are down. That's when music can reach in and worm it's way into your brain and heart. That's how it worked with Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada.
The first time I listened, I was less than impressed. I thought it was boring and self-indulgent. I thought the packaging was trying too hard to be mysterious. I thought the guy reciting his poetry was daffy. I really didn't care for it, to say the least.What makes you reach for a certain CD to give it a second chance, especially when it's 3 in the morning and you woke up and can't go back to sleep? I'm not sure why, but I grabbed it one morning and put it in my portable CD player and relaxed on the couch with my headphones on. That's when it connected...
Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada is a 30 minute long EP consisting of 2 songs, "Moya" and "Bbf3" (my favorite of the two). Nowhere on any of the packaging does it say Godspeed You Black Emperor!, and the cover has Hebrew (I think) writing on it while the back cover has a diagram of a bottle. The inside has Jeremiah 4:23-27 in English and Hebrew, plus a paragraph of handwriting that at first glance is barely decipherable. Maybe I was too busy trying to figure out the packaging to enjoy the music the first time through?
The music critic intelligentsia love to write about GYBE! being angry. I've seen reviews mention angry music and even angry packaging (God forbid you should make your packaging out of cardboard, or else you're angry). With GYBE! being an instrumental group that occasionally runs tape loops and recordings with their music, I think it's a bit more subtle than that. For example, "Moya" seems to start off with sadness and longing and builds into frustration. Angry to me is when a song starts off angry and never relents. GYBE! runs through a range of emotions, and I think much of the time, the music reflects what the listener is feeling.
"Bbf3" showcases a street recording of a guy that many would consider to be part of the "black helicopter" crowd. It's a big anti-government screed, and it's fascinating how it mirrors the music. It begins very matter of fact, and builds to a crescendo with the guy reciting some of his anti-government poetry. When I listen to it, I feel like I'm on a city street with a guy who seems a little unhinged, but I can't stop listening to him and watching him. He's fascinating, though many would no doubt take offense at what he has to say. I'll just say I used to take more offense to it than I do now... What used to be curiosity factor is starting to make more sense to me... Dunno if that's a good thing or not... Addendum: According to several sites, the poem actually consists of lyrics from an Iron Maiden song. Score!
This EP is a masterpiece of emotion. It's beautiful, it's moving and it speaks to me in ways that music with vocals sometimes cannot. It stands up well to repeated listens. Can't say how well it will age, as it only came out in 99, but I hope it's not soon forgotten.
posted by Steve at 7:26 PM
2 Comments:
Yo Mr. Steve Levering,
Lab worker John-Laurent Tronche here, just wanted to drop in and say I dig on your blog. I can't remember the exact name of the song off the top of my head, but I think it's "Kicking Horse on Broken Hill" by GY!BE and it's brilliant. For some reason or another every time I listen to it I think of war and Ravel's "Bolero". Who knows why? Keep up the posts...
As an afterthought I'd mention the song is a section of "Providence" off of F#A#∞ It comes in around the 12 minute mark. Hooray for pretentious prog-rock!
Thanks John-Laurent! Glad to know there are other GY!BE fans at TCU... :-)
Post a Comment
<< Home