I was pretty slow to get into Godspeed for some reason, but since then I've had the good fortune to see them play twice and each time was amazing. The second time was just last month, a few weeks after their fourth studio album in 18 years was released. People were excited, and understandably so: the previous three were all incredible, and they have that rare ability to amaze almost equally on-stage and on vinyl. I picked up a copy as soon as Banquet had them in stock and I've been enjoying it since.
There are four songs on 'Allelujah!... but on a functional level, there are just two (which is fine - they sum to nearly 40 minutes of music so I'm not complaining). The two bridging/drone tracks are on a separate 7" and, in all honesty, I play the songs in the correct order rarely, instead favouring the two on the 12" alone. Those two songs, Mladic and We Drift Like Worried Fire, are both excellent. The first is by far the darker of the two and drags you down with its beat. I love it, particularly after seeing them play it in November; it seemed twice as long and infinitely more dark (as the song hit the final and darkest movement the projectionist began burning the tape so that it curled up in front of the lens). The second song is somehow the opposite, an uplifting piece with wavering guitars and strings that bring you back up from where Mladic left you. The package is pretty nice too, and photographs of the various bits are below. Most strangely, the etching in the run-off groove of the 7" leads to youtube video featuring pictures of a dog (called Loukanikos) running around during the Greek riots. It's worth a watch (the link is below. I tried to photograph the text but seems impossible to do). Banquet have a loyalty card system, which I redeemed on this and another record, hence the relatively bargain price.
Format: 12" and 7", gatefold sleeve, die-cut picture sleeves, 12"x48" poster
Tracks: 4
Cost: £15 new
Bought: Banquet Records
When: 11/10/12
Colour: Black
Etching: Side A1: "Two thousand stoned kids will be stoked" Side A2: "Too bad they don't vote" Side B1: "For Loukanikos" Side B2: "youtube.com/watch?v=lFd0hztEUWk"
mp3s: Download code
