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CD Review by Mark Hamilton godspeed you black emperor! Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven kranky/constellation · Second full-length album from Montreal nine-piece. · Follows recent releases from band side-projects A Silver Mt. Zion, Fly Pan Am, One Speed Bike, and Molasses. In the past, godspeed you black emperor! very nearly managed the impossible – the discovery of a place where the terms "epic" and "minimalism" co-existed harmoniously side by side. On the collective’s new album, they’ve brought all of the pieces together firmly and perfected the formula into an untouchable cohesiveness. Split over two CDs and divided into four movements, the 15 new compositions sway gracefully from elegiac orchestral pieces, noisy guitar work-outs, distorted field recordings, and even a lo-fi rendition of the traditional classic "Baby-O." In Godspeed You Black Emperor’s world of sound, Bedrich Smetana works alongside Ennio Morricone in composing soundtracks for D.W. Griffith’s wildest dreams, true beauty reveals itself in playground sing-alongs, and solace is found inside spirals of guitar reverb and gently bowed violin. While it takes almost two hours to listen to Skinny Fists, it moves forward with such awe-inspiring momentum and relentless grace that the experience feels exhilarating, never exhausting. A note-perfect record for a starry-night. 5/5

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