Yanqui U.X.O.

Last updated

Yanqui U.X.O.
Gybeyanquiuxo.jpg
Studio album by
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
ReleasedNovember 4, 2002
Recorded2001
Studio Electrical Audio, Chicago
Genre Post-rock
Length
  • 75:00 (CD)
  • 83:58 (vinyl)
Label Constellation
Producer Steve Albini
Godspeed You! Black Emperor chronology
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
(2000)		Yanqui U.X.O.
(2002)		 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!
(2012)

Yanqui U.X.O. is the third studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released on November 4, 2002 by Constellation. It was recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago in late 2001, and was the band's first album released after their slight name change (moving the exclamation mark from the "emperor" to the "you"). Lacking both their characteristic interwoven field recordings and specifically named movements, the album was instead described by the band as "just raw, angry, dissonant, epic instrumental rock". [1] Shortly after its release, the group announced an indefinite hiatus so band members could pursue differing musical interests; it was their last album for a decade until the release of 2012's 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! . [2]

Contents

Background

Yanqui is the Spanish word for "Yankee". [3] The liner notes also refer to "Yanqui" as a "multinational corporate oligarchy", while "U.X.O." stands for "unexploded ordnance". [4] The packaging of the album contains an arrow diagram purporting to represent the links between four major record labels (AOL Time-Warner, BMG, Sony, Vivendi Universal) and various arms manufacturers. [5] This chart accompanied a photograph of falling bombs. The band later admitted that a particular extension of the chart (namely EMI appearing on the chart as a subsidiary of AOL Time-Warner) was incorrect. [6]

The album was released as a CD and a double vinyl LP. The LP differs in three ways from the CD:

First, the two-part composition "09-15-00" is compounded into one part. (The album liner notes imply that on this date the second Palestinian intifada began, although this is incorrect.) [7]

Second, an untitled "hidden" track is added after some silence, in a similar manner to the short song "J.L.H. Outro" on the CD release of F♯ A♯ ∞ . This ulterior track consists of a sampled and cut-up George W. Bush speech with applause added. The track also appears on bandmember Aidan Girt's related project 1-Speed Bike's debut album Droopy Butt Begone! (2000) in the track "The Day that Mauro Ran Over Elwy Yost", as well as on Museum Fire Records' compilation Azadi! (2003), a benefit for the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan where it is titled "George Bush Cut Up While Talking". [8]

Finally, the second part of the two-part track "motherfucker=redeemer" is about five minutes longer on the LP due to an extended ambient opening.

Common alternate titles for certain pieces used by the band on setlists include "12-28-99" (which became "09-15-00"), "Tazer Floyd" (became "Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls"), and "Tiny Silver Hammers" (became "motherfucker=redeemer"). [9]

Recording

The album was recorded at Electrical Audio by Steve Albini. The record was mixed by the band and Howard Bilerman (who also did some additional recording) at the Hotel2Tango in Montreal, and mastered by John Loder and Steve Rooke at Abbey Road Studios in London, UK.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 80/100 [10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Drowned in Sound 10/10 [13]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Pitchfork 5.6/10 [14]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Spin 7/10 [16]
Stylus Magazine B+ [17]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]

Yanqui U.X.O is the band's most critically divisive record, receiving a rating of 80 out of 100 on the online review aggregator Metacritic, which corresponds with "generally favorable reviews", based on 16 reviews. [10] While some, such as Thom Jurek of AllMusic, praised the release as being among the group's finest albums, [11] others, like Ryan Schreiber of Pitchfork , derided it for its "sluggishness and a lack of invention". [14]

Playlouder ranked the album at number 47 on their list of the top 50 albums of 2002. [19]

Track listing

Compact disc

No.TitleLength
1."09-15-00"16:27
2."09-15-00 (cont.)"6:17
3."Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls"20:42
4."motherfucker=redeemer"21:22
5."motherfucker=redeemer (cont.)"10:10
Total length:74:57

Vinyl edition

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."09-15-00"22:40
Side two
No.TitleLength
2."Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls"20:43
Side three
No.TitleLength
3."motherfucker=redeemer"21:30
Side four
No.TitleLength
4."motherfucker=redeemer (cont.)" 15:25
  • 3:40

Personnel

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Other musicians
Production

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Godspeed You! Black Emperor</span> Canadian post-rock band

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band that originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation, an independent record label also located in Montreal.

Constellation Records is a Canadian independent record label based in Montreal, Quebec. It has released albums by many post-rock bands, including Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band and Do Make Say Think.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fly Pan Am</span> Canadian experimental rock band formed in Montreal in 1996

Fly Pan Am, or Le Fly Pan Am, are a Canadian experimental rock band formed in Montreal in 1996. They release their albums through the Montreal-based Constellation Records, producing and collaborating on works with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Shalabi Effect.

<i>Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven</i> 2000 studio album by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven is the second studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released as a double album on 9 October 2000 on vinyl by Constellation and on CD by Kranky. The album consists of four 20-minute songs divided into movements, usually consisting of instrumental crescendos, with occasional use of field recordings. Though the band's output is politically-motivated, the overall tone is more hopeful than their prior work. Recording was conducted in February 2000 in Chemical Sound Studios, Toronto, and was derived from the band's live performances and guitarist Efrim Menuck's experience in film-making studies.

<i>Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada</i> 1999 EP by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada is the only EP and second release by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It was released on the Montreal-based record label Constellation Records in 1999, and was re-released by Kranky.

<i>F♯ A♯ ∞</i> 1997 studio album by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

F♯ A♯ ∞ is the debut studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It was first released on August 14, 1997, through Constellation Records on a single LP and on June 8, 1998, through Kranky on CD. The CD version and the LP version have substantial differences between them. Recorded at the Hotel2Tango in the Mile End of Montreal, the album, as became common for the band, is devoid of traditional lyrics and is mostly instrumental, featuring lengthy songs segmented into movements. It was initially released in limited quantities, and distributed through live performances and developed a cult following via word of mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Bilerman</span> Canadian recording engineer

Howard Bilerman is a Canadian musician, sound engineer, and record producer based in Montreal, Quebec. He co-owns the hotel2tango recording studio, and played drums for the band Arcade Fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Efrim Menuck</span> Canadian musician

Efrim Manuel Menuck is a Canadian musician involved with a number of Montreal-based bands, most notably Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. Menuck is also a frequent record producer and engineer, working with musicians from Montreal and abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Trudeau (musician)</span> Canadian singer and violinist

Sophie Trudeau is a Canadian musician. She is best known as a member of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and co-founder of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band. She also plays in a number of other bands, including Valley of the Giants and The Mile End Ladies String Auxiliary.

Thierry Amar is a Canadian musician, engineer and producer. He is a member of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, Earthquake Architecture, Molasses, The Craig Pedersen Quartet and Black Ox Orkestar.

Aidan Girt is a Canadian drummer for the Montreal-based post-rock collectives Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Exhaust. He is also a solo electronic artist under the names OSB, 1-Speed Bike, and Bottleskup Flenkenkenmike and continues to record in Some Became Hollow Tubes.

<i>13 Blues for Thirteen Moons</i> 2008 album

13 Blues for Thirteen Moons is the fifth full-length album by the Canadian post-rock group Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band. The album was released in March 2008. The album consists of an instrumental feedback intro, split into twelve extremely short tracks, and four full songs, which had been played live on recent tours. Band member Efrim Menuck stated that the idea for the 12 short intro tracks initially was suggested because the band wanted the album to start on track 13. The deciding factor for including the tracks, however, was that "if people tried to play it on their iPods, on shuffle mode, it’d blitz their iPod."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Godspeed You! Black Emperor discography</span>

The discography of Godspeed You! Black Emperor—a Canadian post-rock musical collective from Quebec—consists of eight studio albums, one extended play, one split single, and two contributions to various artists compilation albums.

<i>Allelujah! Dont Bend! Ascend!</i> 2012 studio album by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! is the fourth studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released by Constellation Records. It was their first album since 2002's Yanqui U.X.O.. After reforming in 2010, the group went on tour and silently released the album at a concert in Boston on October 1, 2012, with official release dates on October 15 in Europe and the following day in other countries. The album received positive reviews and has been heralded as a comeback for the collective, winning the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.

<i>Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress</i> 2015 album by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress is the fifth studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released on 31 March 2015 by Constellation Records. The album was recorded with Electrical Audio engineer Greg Norman in North Carolina and Montreal, and was the first to feature completely new material since the band's reformation in 2010. It is also, with the exception of the vinyl version of F♯ A♯ ∞, the group's shortest album to date, timing in at just forty minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Abrams (musician)</span> Musical artist

Joshua Abrams is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist who plays the double bass and guimbri.

<i>Luciferian Towers</i> 2017 album by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Luciferian Towers is the sixth studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released on 22 September 2017 by Constellation Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Bryant (musician)</span> Musical artist

David Bryant is a Canadian musician, recording engineer, and film-maker best known for being a member of Montreal-based bands Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Set Fire to Flames, and Hiss Tracts. In 2015, he co-directed the film Quiet Zone and has written music for other films.

<i>G_ds Pee at States End!</i> 2021 studio album by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

G_d's Pee at State's End! is the seventh studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released on 2 April 2021 by Constellation Records.

<i>No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead</i> 2024 studio album by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead is the eighth studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released on 4 October 2024 by Constellation Records. It follows their 2021 release G_d's Pee at State's End!, and was preceded by a single, as "Grey Rubble – Green Shoots" was released alongside the album's announcement on 27 August 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Godspeed You Black Emperor: Yanqui U.X.O. (description page)". Constellation Records. 2002. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  2. ↑ Constellation Records. "Godspeed You! Black Emperor". Bands. Constellation Records. Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  3. ↑ Khanna, Vish (May 4, 2015). "Godspeed You! Black Emperor". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  4. ↑ Empire, Kitty (November 10, 2002). "Get used to the limelight". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  5. ↑ Marsh, Peter (November 20, 2002). "...If Stravinsky was still around, he'd be a fan..." BBC . Retrieved January 1, 2009.
  6. ↑ "A Note On the Artwork for Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Yanqui U.X.O." Archived from the original on April 9, 2003. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (December 20, 2002). "Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Yanqui UXO". The Guardian . Retrieved January 1, 2009.
  8. ↑ GYBE's discography at Brainwashed.com
  9. ↑ "Godspeed You Black Emperor: Concert Chronology". etrembla. 2002. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
  10. 1 2 "Reviews for Yanqui U.X.O. by Godspeed You! Black Emperor". Metacritic . Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  11. 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "Yanqui U.X.O. – Godspeed You! Black Emperor". AllMusic . Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  12. ↑ Weiner, Jonah (February 2003). "Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Yanqui U.X.O.". Blender . No. 13. p. 93. Archived from the original on April 19, 2004. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  13. ↑ Cowling, Ralph (October 29, 2002). "Album Review: Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Yanqui U.X.O.". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  14. 1 2 Schreiber, Ryan (October 27, 2002). "Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Yanqui U.X.O.". Pitchfork . Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  15. ↑ "Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Yanqui U.X.O.". Q . No. 197. December 2002. p. 103.
  16. ↑ Hermes, Will (March 2003). "Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Yanqui U.X.O.". Spin . Vol. 19, no. 3. p. 120. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  17. ↑ Jarvis, Clay (September 1, 2003). "Godspeed You Black Emperor! – Yanqui U.X.O. – Review". Stylus Magazine . Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Yanqui U.X.O.". Uncut . No. 67. December 2002. p. 130.
  19. ↑ "Top 50". Playlouder. Archived from the original on October 19, 2005. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.