F♯ A♯ ∞
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F♯A♯∞ (pronounced "F-sharp, A-sharp, Infinity") is the debut album of the Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You Black Emperor! (later punctuated Godspeed You! Black Emperor). It was released twice, first in 1997 by Constellation Records and then again in 1998 by Kranky. Stylistically, the album is devoid of traditional lyrics and mostly instrumental, featuring lengthy songs segmented into movements and wide dynamics.
The album was recorded at the Hotel2Tango in the Mile End of Montreal. The recording studio is personally owned and operated by select members of the band and their acquaintances, which ensured the band an immense role in the production of the record. When first released, it was done so in very limited quantities, and was mainly distributed through live performances and word of mouth.
Initially, interest in the album was limited due to the small number produced and the band's lack of recognition. After the album's republication and several magazine interviews, the band became considerably more well-known and accessible. Reception of the record was generally positive, and would go on to typify the band's distinct orchestral sound.
Background
Godspeed You Black Emperor! was formed in 1994 in Montreal, Quebec by Efrim Menuck (guitar), Mike Moya (guitar), and Mauro Pezzente (bass). The band initially assembled after being offered a supporting act for another local band named Steak 72.[1] Thereafter, the trio performed live on a few separate occasions, before ultimately deciding to produce an album. The cassette, All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling, was self-released in December 1994 and limited to thirty-three copies.
After the limited release of the cassette, the band quickly expanded and continued to perform live periodically. According to Menuck, joining the group was quite simple: "It was like if anyone knew anybody who played an instrument and seemed like an okay person, they would sort of join up."[2] In short order, the group's numbers ebbed and flowed. Local musicians, such as Grayson Walker,[3] would often join the band for a handful of performances, then depart. The revolving door nature of the group's membership frequently caused it strain before the release of F♯A♯∞.[2]
In 1995, Pezzente moved into a loft space with his then-girlfriend in the Mile End of Montreal.[4] Pezzente used the flat as a performance venue, dubbing it the Gallery Quiva. Around 1996, they were forced to vacate the loft because of fumes from the mechanic's garage below it.[4] Shortly after their departure, Menuck moved into the loft and established the Hotel2Tango, serving both as a recording studio and practice space. There, in 1997, the original recording of F♯A♯∞ took place.[5] By this time, the band had reached an unwieldy fifteen members, and, in preparation of the album, trimmed itself to nine.[2] The reduced membership still made recording difficult. Menuck once described the writing process of the band as "like trying to shit 50-pound bowling balls."[6]
The culmination of material spanning back to 1993[2] resulted in two lengthy songs. Originally, the band had planned to self-release the album as a double 7" record set.[1] The idea was scrapped, however, after Don Wilkie and Ian Ilavsky, founders of the independent record label Constellation and co-producers of the album, offered to publish it as their third record.[1] The album was released in August 1997, and was initially limited to five-hundred hand-numbered vinyl records.[5]
In 1998, the band returned to the studio and remastered the album. They published the recording through Constellation and the Chicago-based record label Kranky in June of the same year. Changes included the addition and reorganization of material, resulting in three tracks and slightly over an hour of music. The remastered version of the album is the best known among the mainstream. It also marked the first time the album was available on compact disc, rather than a vinyl record.
Music
The music of F♯A♯∞ is known for its wide volume changes, dark thematics, and lengthy songs separated into movements. All of the tracks feature a number of field recordings and sampled sounds, once referred to by David Keenan of The Wire as "eschatological tape loops."[7] Therefore, the overall theme of the album is often pinned as apocalyptic.[8][9][10] Indeed, English director Danny Boyle was heavily inspired by the album during the making of 28 Days Later. During an interview with guardian.co.uk, he explained, "I always try to have a soundtrack in my mind [when creating a film]. Like when we did Trainspotting, it was Underworld. For me, the soundtrack to 28 Days Later was Godspeed. The whole film was cut to Godspeed in my head."[11]
The opening track, "The Dead Flag Blues", begins with an ominous introduction which originates from an unfinished screenplay by guitarist Efrim Menuck.[5] Backed by a string melody, the speaker describes a derelict city, where the government is corrupt and the inhabitants are drugged.[12] The introduction is followed by a quiet interlude which develops into a Western-themed melody, and is capped off by an upbeat glockenspiel and violin duet.
The second track, "East Hastings", is named after a street in Vancouver's blighted Downtown Eastside. It begins with bagpipes reprising the theme of "The Dead Flag Blues" and backing the shouts of a street preacher.[8] The sermon slowly quiets, and is replaced with the movement "The Sad Mafioso...", an edited version of which appeared in the film 28 Days Later. The movement also contains a brief portion where the band quietly sings with the melody in a rare occurrence of vocals.[α] The track concludes with a series of electronic noises and buzzing until throbbing bass takes over.
The final track, "Providence", is considerably longer than the first two, coming in around thirty minutes in length. James Oldham of NME described it as "part The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and part spiritualized drone freakout."[13] After the introduction, a cello piece is accompanied by a guitar and violin. Percussion is added to the melody which peaks then quiets, and is followed by a distorted singing woman (seemingly an early version of "Gathering Storm") and a military-themed tune. The sung phrase "Where are you going? Where are you going?" which follows is sampled from the song "By My Side," from the 1970 musical Godspell. After four minutes of silence, an outro named after late blues musician John Lee Hooker is performed.
Imagery
The title of the album is pronounced "F-sharp, A-sharp, Infinity". This is a reference to the keys in which each side of the record begins and to the endless loop at the end. The compact disc version does not contain the loop.
The original five-hundred records are well-known for their unique packaging and contents. The record jackets were handmade by the band, their record label, and local Montreal artists.[14] One of three original photographs—depicting a watertower, train, or road sign—was glued onto the cover. The sleeve and jacket made no mention of the track titles. They were instead scratched into the run-off groove of the record, accompanied by the catalog number and side indication.
Inside of the jacket was an envelope filled with inserts. The contents included an old handbill, the album's credit sheet, a picture drawn by guitarist Efrim Menuck, and a Canadian penny crushed by a train.[14] A silk-screened image dedicated to the blues musician Reverend Gary Davis was also included in the jacket. Barb Stewart of Stylus Magazine and Mike Galloway of NOW called the packaging and inserts "beautiful."[6] After numerous repressings, the assembly process was streamlined. However, the record still ships, to this day, with virtually the same packaging elements as the originals.[5]
The compact disc version of the album is much simpler artistically. Guitarist David Bryant once referred to the packaging as a "jewel-cased CD monstrosity," preferring the original handcrafted record.[7] The photograph of a road sign was chosen as the cover image, and was enlarged and darkened significantly from the original. Inside of the case are liner notes and images, including the "Faulty Schematics of a Ruined Machine," the hand drawn picture by Efrim Menuck present in the record.
Reception
The first publication of F♯A♯∞ was reviewed by a scant number of critics. Stylus Magazine wrote that the record was "innovative and inventive" and that it "stakes out unique territory in a world overrun with hackneyed experimentation."[6] Gordon Krieger of Exclaim! described it as a "slow soundtrack of regret and desire, equal parts morose and expectant."[6] Montreal-based Hour magazine said the lengthy tracks "could be really pretentious but the sounds [the band] make are way too cool to be merely coldly superior."[6] Chart magazine went on to rank the two-track record as #46 on their list of the top 50 Canadian albums of all time.[15]
Reviews of the second publication were generally positive and more wide-spread. Marc Gilman of Allmusic said that "the music on [the] album is unique and powerful" and that someone "would be hard-pressed to find any imitators of [Godspeed's] revolutionary musical form."[12] The Magnet commented that the three tracks can be "served up as staggering psychedelia for a headphone or surround-sound context,"[13] voting it #38 on their list of the best albums from 1993 to 2003.[16] The NME called it a "genuine classic," noting the variety of sounds present in the album.[13] Pitchfork founder and critic Ryan Schreiber remarked that, of the many experimental bands around, Godspeed You Black Emperor! were "one of the few that [haven't] left out beauty and emotion in their pieces."[9] Pitchfork later ranked the album #45 on their list of the top 100 albums of 1990s.[17]
Track listing
Vinyl edition
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nervous, Sad, Poor…"
| 20:43
6:09 3:23 4:16 3:29 1:52 1:34 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | "Bleak, Uncertain, Beautiful…"
| 17:40
2:00 5:33 5:36 4:29 |
CD edition
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Dead Flag Blues"
| 16:27
6:37 3:33 4:17 2:00 |
| 2. | "East Hastings"
| 17:58
1:35 10:44 3:43 1:56 |
| 3. | "Providence"
| 29:02
2:44 8:07 5:53 4:36 3:32 4:08 |
Edition notes
Vinyl
- Names of movements are not actually given anywhere in the vinyl release; these are taken from the CD release.
- The final movement on side one does not have a corresponding segment on the CD release.
- Time lengths given are approximations. Because of the locked groove of the final track, the vinyl edition technically has an infinite running time.
CD
- "Slow Moving Trains" and "The Cowboy..." are listed as the same movement, but they are actually separate pieces.
- "Drugs in Tokyo" and "Black Helicopter" are listed as the same movement, but they are actually separate pieces.
- "J.L.H. Outro" was named in honor of John Lee Hooker. On the CD edition it is hidden after approximately four minutes' worth of silence at end of "Providence."
- Time lengths of movements given are taken from the official discography.
Personnel
Godspeed You Black Emperor!
- Efrim Menuck – guitar
- Thierry Amar – bass
- Mauro Pezzente – bass
- Aidan Girt – percussion
- Bruce Cawdron – percussion
- David Bryant – guitar
- Mike Moya – guitar
- Norsola Johnson – cello
- Thea Pratt – horn
- Christophe
Production
- Don Wilkie – producer, mixing
- Ian Ilavsky – producer, mixing
- Godspeed You Black Emperor! – producer, mixing
Notes
α^ The singing takes place during "The Sad Mafioso..." movement, and spans from 8:20 to 8:50. Live performances also contain the singing. Examples can be heard here and here at the 13:30 and 11:37 marks, respectively.
References
- ^ a b c Keenan, David (2000). "Godspeed You Black Emperor! interview with The Wire". brainwashed.com. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ a b c d St-Jacques, Marie-Douche (1998). "Godspeed You Black Emperor! interview with aMAZEzine!". aMAZEzine. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
- ^ Carpenter, Lorraine (2003). "Easy Being Green: Frog Eyes Whip Up a Colourful Cabaret". Montreal Mirror. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ^ a b Carpenter, Lorraine and Rahman, Ali (2000). "Experimental jet-set trash and new stars" (html). Montreal Mirror. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d Constellation Records. "F♯A♯∞ release information". Releases. Constellation Records. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
- ^ a b c d e "Reviews of F♯A♯∞ LP". brainwashed.com. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ a b Keenan, David (1998). "Godspeed You Black Emperor! interview with The Wire". brainwashed.com. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ a b Freeman, Channing. "F♯A♯∞ review". Album reviews. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ a b Schreiber, Ryan (1998). "F♯A♯∞ review". Reviews. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ "Interview with The Scotsman". brainwashed.com. 2000. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- ^ Empire, Kitty (2002). "Get used to the limelight". guardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ a b Gilman, Marc. "F♯A♯∞ review". Reviews. All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ a b c "Reviews of F♯A♯∞". brainwashed.com. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ a b Constellation Records. "F♯A♯∞ packaging". Wayback Machine. Constellation Records. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
- ^ Chart Staff (2000). "Top 50 Canadian Albums of All Time". Chart. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Acclaimed Music: Magnet's Top 60 Albums, 1993–2003". acclaimedmusic.net. Magnet. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ Pitchfork Staff. "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2009-02-23.