Godspeed You! Black Emperor-Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven (2000)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is one of my favorite all time bands. Years ago I was lucky enough to see them live, and out of all the live shows that I have been to, their live performance ranks in my top 5.  (If I was to refine the list, maybe even top 3 live shows that I have been to!)  Live they were amazing!, seriously there's no other way to describe it.  They had multiple different projectors showing different images that they played along to; more or less social based imagery.  I still remember watching them in aw, and if I remember correctly, they had 9 people playing music.  Usually when you have that many people playing at once, things have a tendency to sound jumbled, but they did not.  GYBE is one of those bands that even with an amazingly stellar live show, their sound transitions easily to a studio recording.

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven was the tour that I saw them play live, and the album is just as amazing and emotional as they were live.  This 2 cd release has 4 continuous tracks with a running time of nearly 90 minutes!  I know what you're thinking: 90 minutes?!  That is correct, 90 minutes, and not any of that time are you itching for it to hurry up and end. Canadian based, GYBE has a very unique way of playing the Post-Rock genre.  Each song builds slowly and quietly, then ends up becoming a huge growth of stylized sounds that will tantalize your auditory senses.  Great guitar work mixed with on the spot stylized violin/cello molds easily into their drums and percussion, reaching a point where all come together in one seamless sound; and that's with 8-9 members playing at once!  GYBE has 5 albums in total, but has many side projects that continue their sound, since GYBE is seemingly no more.  I have checked many many times, since I saw them live, in hopes that they would be touring again, with no success.  It seems as though the most prolific Post-Rock group has disbanded in this form in order to carry on in their side projects/sister bands.

If you are unfamiliar with Post-Rock, this is the band to get into first; you won't be disappointed.  In my opinion all the GYBE albums should be in your music collection.  It's very very difficult to say which album of theirs is better, for they all are very very good.  My suggestion: buy them all.  The only drawback, and seriously ONLY, is that post rock as a whole is not something that fits every occasion; it fits for an everyday listen, but due to the style of the genre, it produces feelings that might be a little downtrodden than what most circumstances ask for. 

Official score-4.75/5

Tom Waits- Franks Wild Years (1987)

If you haven't heard of Tom Waits, then there is something wrong with you.  Not only he is one of the best musicians in our lifetime, with a huge discography, but he has had multiple roles in films to boot.  Tom Waits has been making music, way before I was born, and the level of composition and musicianship is outstanding.  Long has Tom Waits been a quintessential listen for any and all music fan in the 20th/21st century.

Franks Wild Years was released in 1987, has 17 wonderful tracks that come right around an hours worth of music.  I have many Tom Waits albums, and whenever I meet someone who is not familiar with him, this is the album that I recommend.  This album touches on what makes Tom Waits a great composer: Great melodies that engulf his piano/guitar/drum playing all followed up by his unique voice which recites his enigmatic lyrics that bring all types of moods/emotions to the table.  Tom Waits as a whole, not just this album, is great for everyday listening as well as mood specific times.  I can't really say enough about him, in my opinion the only other musician that might be more prolific than Tom Waits, is Frank Zappa! (which if you know Zappa, then you understand the magnitude of that statement, if you don't know Zappa, then why the hell are you reading this blog?!)

This album is a must have, must listen, must everything; honestly this is the type of album that you want to copy off and give to friends so that they aren't left in the dark.  With a wide range of styles and genres being played on this album, there is something for everyone!  This should be bought; feel free to try and download it, but for the music lover/collector, you need this in your library, and in all honesty, you should already have it there.

Official score-4.25/5

Asa Change and Junray- Tsu Gi Ne Pu (2003)

I would like to start out that I really like Asa Chang & Junray.  When I first discovered this project, some years ago, it was a mainstay for me for quite some time.  In fact, I used to play music while I slept and had a big playlist that would go throughout the night, and I can still remember my wife telling me she would hear these guys start playing and it would kinda creep her out.  (I still laugh when I think about that.)

As you might guess, Asa Chang & Junray are from Japan, and I won't go into it, but take a second and look at some of the info. that there is online about them.  So, with us not getting too much into the band, or the other things that Asa Chang is into, let's get into a review of this album.

5 tracks, actually considered a mini-album by their label, but usually referred to as an E.P., so it is rather short. This is a dark yet rhythmical electronic release with live drums; a total gem in the electronic/experimental field.  Lots of layers of sounds followed with additional layers of beats, both live and electronic covered with mood setting Japanese vocals and vocal rhythms.  I am trying to find some actual descriptive words for this review, but in all honesty, this is a project that I recommend to listen to in order to get their full effect.  The only drawback for this album is that you have to be a fan of Japanese music, experimental/electronic music and/or a combination of all 3 to enjoy this to the fullest extent.  I love experimental music, and really enjoy any type of music that can make me want to listen to it, again and again, in order to find out everything that is going on within each track.  Do what you can to find this and if you're not a fan of this style, then try it anyways- you should have more of an open mind.


Official Score-3.75/5
(I scored this right under 4/5 due to the fact that it does apply only to a certain niche of the listening community; but if I'm not being objective, 4/5 for sure.)