Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress

There is a veil that obscures everything around us. The reality in which we live seems to hide, among vivid and clear appearances, something dark that is difficult to describe in words.
The "Godspeed You! Black Emperor" have been trying for twenty years to narrate and dismantle the illusion of normality and happiness that surrounds us, unveiling with their monumental compositions, the anguish of a decadent and utterly "screwed" era. To quote an internal note from their latest work "Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress," released by Constellation Records last March.
Let's get the situation clear immediately: in the 4 songs that compose the album, GYBE do not propose anything new. But in reality, GYBE are not even proposing 4 songs. The entire project is born from a concert section that the collective played for the first time in 2012 titled "Behemoth," the "colossus." No provisional name was ever more fitting. 40 minutes of music divided into 4 segments without continuity. Imposing, yes, but as mentioned above, nothing new. GYBE have accustomed us to songs whose duration varies from 20 to 30 minutes. The strength of this album, in fact, does not come from innovation or the ability to surprise but from the incredible compositional maturity reached by the group. From this point of view, "Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress" represents the most cohesive and important work of their career.

First song or first movement (which sounds much more alternative): "Peasantry or 'Light! Inside of Light!'". A storm halfway between dream and nightmare. A somewhat unusual start: no crescendo, immediately strong, 4 turns of pounding drums and then everyone in perfect "Godspeed" style. The sound is rich but at the same time clear and crystalline. They may have three guitarists, two bassists, two percussionists, and a violinist, but each has their place and perfectly defined space.
The initial ride lasts almost 10 minutes before a thick fog of drones begins to lift; the calm after (and before) the storm. The two central parts of the album "Lamb's Breath" and "Asunder, Sweet" are precisely this. The rhythm no longer exists. What remains are ruins: guitars, violins, and percussion that don't sound like guitars, violins, and percussion; a dark and claustrophobic atmosphere that calms the waters and lowers the pulses. But it's apparent calm. There's no time to enjoy the sweet floating before the sound shakes and rises and distorts once more and then explodes once more, even more thunderously. "Piss Crown Are Trebled" closes the work just as it started. The last fragment falls into place almost predictably. Marvelously predictably.

With "Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress," GYBE don't revolutionize themselves or revolutionize music in general, nor post-rock or any other genre in which they might be classified. Their way of narrating and "drawing" on tape what surrounds us remains the same for twenty years. Perhaps because what surrounds us hasn't changed a bit in twenty years. Musically, they have reached a stability and compositional accuracy that no one in today's music scene can match. They may be criticized for essentially making the same song all the time, using the same sounds, and employing the same arrangements. But it matters little.
They may have always made the same music, but they do it in a damn perfect way.

P.s the rating is 4.5 but I round it to 4 stars. 5 is given "only" to "Yanqui," "Skinny Fists," and "Slow Riot."