I waited in line for an hour last night in 20º weather to see Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the first of what is supposed to be many R5 shows at the Starlight Ballroom on 9th St.
The Black Dice opened up. Apparently they decided at some point to take a very different direction from the crazy noisecore stuff I’ve heard. Samplers and effects pedals and loops, oh my! There are lots of people out there making interesting music with similarly convoluted gadgetry setups. Not these guys. They had their moments, but those moments were too infrequent. Or maybe I was just irate because I still couldn’t feel my feet.
Godspeed’s small army of musicians sounded fucking amazing, beginning by droning and pounding through about 2/3 of Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven. Though they still sounded good after segueing to the newer material, it just didn’t do as much for me, because the new album doesn’t knock my socks off the way its predecessors do. Still, freezing cold and all, and though the show was better the last time I saw them, it was a totally worthwhile experience. And I hear the violinist Sophie wants to make out with me. I guess I’ll have to let her.