You know that feeling when you're standing in the middle of a massive crowd, but somehow you feel completely alone in the noise? That’s the space Godspeed You! Black Emperor (GY!BE) has occupied for decades. When they dropped Godspeed You! Black Emperor Luciferian Towers back in 2017, the world was already starting to feel like it was fraying at the edges. Honestly, looking back at it now, it feels less like a post-rock album and more like a survival manual written in feedback and violin swells.
It isn't their longest record. It isn't even their loudest. But it’s probably their most legible.
For a band that famously communicates through cryptic liner notes and grainy 16mm film projections, Luciferian Towers felt strangely direct. They even released a "grand list" of demands with it, including things like "an end to foreign invasions" and "the expert overhaul of our governing institutions." It’s basically the sound of a band tired of being misinterpreted as just "background music for reading." They had something to say, and they used four massive, sprawling tracks to scream it without saying a single word.
The Architecture of a Crumbling World
The title itself is a bit of a giveaway, right? Luciferian Towers. It conjures up these images of gleaming, soul-sucking skyscrapers—the kind of glass-and-steel monoliths that define modern gentrification and corporate ego. The band recorded this at Hotel2Tango in Montreal, their home turf. You can hear the room. You can hear the air moving.
Most people think of GY!BE as this "crescendo-core" band where every song starts quiet and ends in a deafening explosion. Luciferian Towers breaks that mold a little bit. It’s more melodic. It’s got these soaring, almost celebratory brass sections that feel like a funeral march for a king nobody liked.
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"Undoing a Luciferian Towers" kicks things off with this staggering, discordant horn section. It’s messy. It feels like a building being demolished in slow motion. If you’re used to the clean, polished production of modern rock, this might hurt your ears at first. That’s the point. It’s supposed to be uncomfortable. The band—consisting of a small army of musicians including Efrim Menuck, Sophie Trudeau, and Thierry Amar—operates like a single, breathing organism.
Why the "Anthem for No State" Trilogy Matters
If you only have time to listen to one part of this record, it has to be "Anthem for No State." It’s split into three movements. The first part is this lonely, Ennio Morricone-esque guitar melody that sounds like a lone survivor walking through a desert. It’s sparse. It’s haunting.
Then, by the time you hit the third movement? It’s pure fire.
The guitars start interlocking in these complex, shimmering patterns. It’s the closest Godspeed has ever come to writing a "hit," even though it’s still a ten-minute instrumental track about the end of borders. The way the violins start to saw through the mix is incredible. It’s not just noise; it’s a specific kind of yearning. They’ve always been masters of tension, but here, the payoff feels earned rather than forced.
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Politics Without the Preaching
Let's be real: political music usually sucks. It’s often heavy-handed or dated by the time it hits the shelves. Godspeed avoids this because they don't use lyrics. By stripping away the words, Godspeed You! Black Emperor Luciferian Towers becomes a Rorschach test for the listener’s own frustrations.
During the "Bosses Hang" suite—which is divided into three parts—the music carries this relentless, swinging rhythm. It’s driving. It’s hopeful, in a weird, gritty way. The title is a pretty clear nod to labor struggles and the desire to see the "bosses" lose their grip. But you don't need to know the history of the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) to feel the power in the chords.
- The record focuses on "totalitarianism" not as a far-off concept, but as the literal architecture we live in.
- It rejects the "doom and gloom" label. There is a massive amount of beauty here.
- The recording process used 2-inch tape, giving it a warmth that digital records just can't replicate.
Critics at the time, like those at Pitchfork or The Quietus, noted that this was a "brighter" Godspeed. And they weren't wrong. It’s the sound of people holding hands while the ship goes down. It’s communal. In an era where we’re all glued to screens and isolated by algorithms, there’s something deeply human about nine people in a room making this much racket together.
How to Actually Listen to This Album
You can't treat this like a Spotify "Chill Beats" playlist. If you put Luciferian Towers on in the background while you’re doing emails, you’re going to miss the entire point. It’s designed to be immersive.
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- Get some decent headphones. Not the cheap ones that came with your phone. You need to hear the separation between the two drummers (Aidan Girt and David Bryant).
- Turn off your notifications. Seriously. The tension in "Famamine" relies on the slow build. If your phone pings halfway through, the spell is broken.
- Watch the live footage. If you ever get the chance to see them live, do it. They use analog film projectors that literally melt the film as it runs. It adds a layer of physical decay to the music that perfectly matches the themes of the album.
There was a lot of talk when the album came out about whether Godspeed was "softening." People missed the 20-minute drones of Raise Your Skinny Fists Like Heavenly Plateaus. But brevity (by their standards) isn't weakness. Luciferian Towers is lean. It’s got no fat on it. Every screeching note serves the central idea that our current way of living is unsustainable, but the act of creating something beautiful is, in itself, an act of resistance.
The Lasting Impact of the Towers
So, why does Godspeed You! Black Emperor Luciferian Towers still matter years later? Because the "towers" are still standing, and if anything, they’re getting taller.
The album doesn't offer easy answers. It doesn't tell you who to vote for or what protest to join. Instead, it provides a space to grieve for the things we’ve lost and find the energy to keep going. It’s a heavy listen, sure. But it’s also one of the most vital pieces of art produced in the last decade. It reminds us that even in the face of massive, impersonal power, human beings can still make a hell of a lot of noise.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the GY!BE world after this, check out their 2021 follow-up, G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END!. It carries a lot of the same DNA but cranks the distortion up even higher.
Your next steps for exploring this sound:
Start by listening to "Bosses Hang, Pt. I" on a high-quality audio stream to catch the subtle interplay between the bass lines. Then, read the original press release from Constellation Records for the album—it contains the "demands" the band issued, which provides essential context for the "Luciferian" themes. Finally, compare the studio version of "Anthem for No State" to live recordings from their 2017-2018 tour; the improvisational shifts in the violin sections show how the "tower" evolves every time it's built on stage.