Godspeed You! Black Emperor has built a pretty hardcore cult following over the past two decades for their blissfully meandering chamber rock. We’ve discussed previously how some music is felt not necessarily heard (see Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago for a sterling example) and Lift Your Skinny Fists To The Sky Like Antennas to Heaven fits squarely into that description. It’s a blissful and harmonic trek through the wilderness, reminding me of driving on a foggy evening in San Francisco where visibility is low and you’re not quite sure where you’re headed, necessitating an elevation of every single one of your senses to figure out a way to get to your destination. You stiffen your neck, widen your eyes, perk your ears, and are immediately enraptured in that specific moment in a way that feels foreign compared to how you spend the majority of your days.
At the risk of being overwrought, Lift Your Skinny Fists To The Sky Like Antennas to Heaven is a representation of this wonderful journey we call life, where the twists and turns that come in rapid succession are what make it all worth the hassle. To experience is to live. Every time I’ve had the opportunity to play this record over the last 20 years, I feel like I learn something new about myself and a deeper appreciation of what it means to just simply exist.
Standout Songs: “Storm”, “Sleep”, “Static”, “Like Antennas To Heaven…”
