Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! (Constellation)
It’s been more than a decade since Godspeed You! Black Emperor has released an album. But now, with Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!, the masters of celestial crescendo have returned to the fold as though they never missed a beat.
Packed full of discordant build-ups, anthemic explosions, climactic doses of highs and lows, and arrangements tangled in tenacity and tension, the album clocks in at 53 minutes despite being only four tracks. It is a cosmic comeback — a meditation on restraint and stamina, as the songs cascade into looming sounds of dissonance, distortion, and dread. A welcome return indeed.