When this epic, apocalyptic, orchestral nine-man Québeçois crew undertake a shift of exclamation mark — their preposterous nomenclature going from the former Godspeed You Black Emperor! to the current Godspeed You! Black Emperor — you know that it means something. What, exactly, is unclear, but it's the only thing that's cryptic in this new GY!BE incarnation. After starting out life, on their debut disc f#a#(infinity), shrouded in shadowy pseudo-film-score-ist mystery, the combo have become increasingly direct in the presentation of their political ideals, with their leader, guitarist/conceptualist Efrim Munuck, serving as outspoken rabble-rouser. Godspeed are now proud to wear explicit politic slogans sewn on their album sleeve. Without a vocalist, the band let their artwork do the polemic preaching, letting their music simply speak only as sound; this record even reduces things to more simple sounds as they ditch the tape-loops and get post-rockin' in Steve Albini's studio. Their third proper longplayer, Yanqui U.X.O. is the work of a band that has finally become confident in its popularity and influence, and so it's no surprise they come out without pussying about. The record comes with artwork featuring a chart connecting the world's four major record labels to arms manufacturers via a few choice parent companies. The album's opening piece, "09-15-00," is a two-part 22-minute soundtrack to "Ariel Sharon surrounded by 1,000 Israeli Soldiers marching on Al-Haram Ash-Sharif and provoking another intifada." In the midst of this, Godspeed see their music as providing hope and "a little resistance," like tiny lights of protest in the world's clustering political darkness.
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