An album of music that is both new and old from a band that we thought we might never hear from again, one we should appreciate while we can.
It only takes a few seconds of Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! to realise that GY!BE are back to do what they do best; making a glorious cacophony of ringing guitars, singing strings and ferocious feedback.
It’s tense, it’s beautiful, it’s bleak, it takes the listener from point A to point B while leaving it up to us what the point of the ride is to begin with.
Allelujah! seems more immediate and more organic, but instead of feeling blown away by it’s unreachable drama and grandeur, with a decade of age behind us and the band, it feels inhabitable in a way Godspeed never has before.
Where previous releases have seen the Canadian outfit reach toward a clarity of emotion and execution, ’Allelujah! sounds muddy and muffled in its messaging.
It may take a while before 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! is accepted amongst the ranks of their earlier work, if that ever happens, but ultimately, this is the same epic, mystifying GY!BE as always.
Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! feels simultaneously enormous and tragic; the sound of victory, firmly set in the jaws of defeat.
Allelujah! picks up where Montreal's premier apocalyptic instrumental outfit left off, setting the collapse of the first world to wordless music.
This potent emotional strain that runs throughout 'Allelujah is a confident affirmation of Godspeed's return to prominence. Ten years have very much been worth the wait.
‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! rewards immersive, though somewhat uncritical, listening: a glorious hymn to the visceral and transformative power of sound.
For now, though, they’ve made a modestly magnificent record that entirely validates this reformation.
On Allelujah!… we get a Godspeed reinvigorated, imbued with their best spirit, the spirit of the rag-tag collective, not equipped (or willing) to meet on the terms of their oppressors, but determined to persist nonetheless.
No less subtly political or overtly maniacal, Ascend! possesses all the elements of any Godspeed release and the makings of an essential one.
Marrying an experimental-rock ethos with a symphony's scope, Godspeed once again offers a record that easily matches the intrigue of their album titles and covers.
Allelujah! Dont’ Bend! Ascend! offers fewer catharses, fewer emotions, and fewer answers, putting more distance than ever between Godspeed You! Black Emperor and the listener.
given the discipline and experimentation in the short pieces, and in the creative imagination displayed in rearranging the longer ones to accommodate a larger band, 'Allelujah! Don't Bend Ascend proves that GY!BE still has plenty of captivating things to say.
The new recordings are thrilling and arguably more direct than on GY!BE’s classic albums, but I suspect it’s not the new music on the album that makes this album an event; it’s the band’s re-emergence as a cultural text at this moment.
Holy fuck.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is slowly but surely turning out to be one of my favorite bands of all time, with LYSFLATH being one of my favorite albums of all time. Their ability to form some of the most emotionally complex and larger than life music I've ever heard is making me return to their work almost on a daily basis. I came into this album with some pretty high expectations, but I didn't think it would be just as engaging as some of my favorite albums from the group, but ... read more
Mladic is Godspeeds best song but also one of the best album openings ever
FAVORITE TRACKS: Mladic, We Drift Like Worried Fire, Strung Like Lights At Thee Printemps Erable
LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: Their Helicopters Sing
Wow
I just continue to love everything they make.
The first track Mladic features and amazing distorted and thick guitar sound that I’ve never heard in GYBE’s previous work. The beginning of it feels like it is taking you on a journey, and its sound is constantly unrelenting. Although this song is about a war criminal, i interpreted it as someone getting beat down, and constantly getting up a fighting back. Overall, it was a great opener.
The following track is anything special, ... read more
1 | Mladic 19:59 | 98 |
2 | Their Helicopters Sing 6:30 | 84 |
3 | We Drift Like Worried Fire 20:07 | 96 |
4 | Strung Like Lights At Thee Printemps Erable 6:31 | 83 |
#7 | / | Obscure Sound |
#8 | / | FILTER |
#9 | / | No Ripcord |
#9 | / | The Needle Drop |
#12 | / | Pitchfork |
#13 | / | Cokemachineglow |
#13 | / | Stereogum |
#14 | / | SPIN |
#16 | / | PopMatters |
#17 | / | Exclaim! |