With the COVID 19 pandemic a few months in, and scattered great releases coming from Katatonia and The Ocean, I said to myself…
“Where is Godspeed”?
The post rock band has always been a perfect soundtrack for the end of the world, alongside the absolutely crushing and most devastating moments by Japanese outfit Mono. And despite their lack of lyrics, they have found a way for their music to convey strong political connotations, whether through soundclips, song names, artwork, linear notes, or even images projected behind them in a live setting.
And a global pandemic, plus political turmoil, racial tension, classist division, among everything else we experienced in the year 2020 seemed only too fitting for what Godspeed has been saying all along.
But Godspeed didn’t emerge to gloat, because…. when you’ve been right all along about devastation, it doesn’t make you feel any better. It doesn’t make the situation itself any better.
True, most of the music on this new album was actually written before the Pandemic was even a thought for the average citizen. In fact, the last time I saw them, they played what was then known to us as “Glaciers” and “Cliffs” (thanks to diehard fans online). And what I can remember of these songs that amazing night in Los Angeles was how melodic they were. They provided more introspective moments than the chaotic but brilliant songs that they played from Luciferian Towers with Patrick Shiroishi on saxophone. And it’s wonderful to finally hear them on album form.
This is the 4th album in a row by the band to feature a similar format: 2 long songs and two shorter songs (or 2 melodic songs and two drone tracks, since what’s short for them is still longer than anything most bands can release). This has been their track list of choice since returning from their hiatus. Depending on the mood of the album, the format can provide comfort to the listener like in the beautiful hypnotic repetitiveness of their previous release, or it can provide some bleak and powerful releases such as on the two before that one.
This time around, it doesn’t have the anger that the band is able to achieve in their most punk rock moments (as far as post rock goes). It reminds me of T.S. Eliot’s famous quote:
“This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper”.
Fans of early Godspeed will be happy to notice two things right off the top:
1. Multipart song names (representing the different parts or “movements” to borrow the term usually used for classical music). Sure two songs on their previous release were multi-part. But for Godspeed fans, the longer a song’s name is, the more they like it.
2. The first song starts with the use of field recordings, something that has been lacking on the recent releases by the band.
After a few minutes of the soundclips, a distorted violin comes in, almost like a political march gone wrong. After fading out for a while the band comes in with what will surly be an iconic moment for them: “Job’s Lament”. The buildup of guitar and bass before the full band joins is nothing short of brilliant.
This jam session goes straight into “First of the Last Glaciers” which is heavy but extremely melodic. The band is really showing their hard rock skills, incorporating it amongst all the tones, effects, and droning. They even show off some odd time signatures in this section which is a great step for the band. More than just the ups and downs of normal post rock, the band continues to challenge themselves all these years later, while still paying tribute to the sliding guitars that were prevalent on their debut. The song ends with a minute of bird chirps and gun shots. When it’s all over, you can’t believe how fast 20 minutes can pass.
“Fire at Static Valley” in contrast is 6 minutes, and showcases the melancholic side of the band. Almost like the sad realization of your dreams dying or nightmares coming true, it is a swan dive into harsh realism when compared to the driving rhythms of the first song. Haunting, nostalgic, and similar to things we’d expect off of Lift Your Skinny Fists or Yanqui U.X.O, it shows that the short songs on this album are not gonna be easy endeavors, but that they are just as crucial as the longer ones.
The second long song also starts with a soundclip, this one of a voice and static. Similar to the first song, after about two minutes this is broken up by the bass, and then a distorted guitar and a violin. This haunting melody is repeated while the drums slowly build up like an orchestra getting in tune, or a rhythm finding its way.
Once it gets going, it continues the eerie vibes of the previous tune, giving off those old, classic Godspeed vibes. This goes on till the 11:22 minute mark, when the song goes from the “Government Came” section to the “Cliffs Gaze” section. The song briefly drops out before introducing its new melody, which is among the most positive sounding moments the band has ever created. Like a celebration amongst the darkness and the mourning, it emerges and completely changes the tone and pacing of the album.
It gives the album a full trajectory from its low points to its high points. The full experience of the human soul if you will. As Rod Serling would say, “between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge”. That’s where this album lies. Church bells bring the song to a close, almost around the 20 minute mark.
The album is closed with a 6 minute and 30 second piece called “Our Side Has to Win”. If the previous songs show their rock side, their melancholic side, and their uplifting side, this one shows their knack for classical music. Somewhere between an orchestral piece and a string quartet, it is the perfect closing music for a film (to quote Radiohead). After everything you’ve heard, it slowly fades away, and lulls the album to a perfect close.
While it might not be the most experimental album the band has released, I can definitely see it becoming a fan favorite. The melodic passages provide the band a wealth of material in a live setting, in a discography that is already hard enough to concise to a 2 hour setlist. From start to finish, it seems clear and focused. Every second has meaning, every section serves purpose, and every piece plays well with everything that came before it and came after it.
Some fans might want Godspeed to have emerged from the pandemic with the darkest album ever. Some fans would have wanted Godspeed to blatantly wave a flag that says “We Told You So”. But Godspeed is too classy for that. Instead, they come to provide a message of hope. They instead chose to say with this album:
“Yes, we see what’s going on. Yes we know that times are tough and things look bad. But yes there’s going to be the other side of this, and we will all see each other soon”.
And from a band who has always preached of the apocalypse, it couldn’t be more comforting to hear this message loud and clear. Especially since they just announced a world tour for 2022.
Things are indeed looking up.
Photos courtesy of Constellation Records.
View of the Sunrise 