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Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress

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Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
A blurry, black and white image of animals grazing, with trees in the background.
Studio album by
Released31 March 2015 (2015-03-31)
Recorded2013–14
Studio
Length40:23[1]
LabelConstellation
Godspeed You! Black Emperor chronology
'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!
(2012)
Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
(2015)
Luciferian Towers
(2017)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The A.V. ClubA−[4]
Drowned in Sound[5]
Exclaim!8/10[6]
The Guardian[7]
Paste9.3/10[8]
Pitchfork7.6/10[9]
Spin[10]
Sputnikmusic[11]

Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress is the fifth studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released on 31 March 2015 by Constellation Records. The album was recorded with Electrical Audio engineer Greg Norman in North Carolina and Montreal,[1][12] and was the first to feature completely new material since the band's reformation in 2010.[13] It is also, with the exception of the vinyl version of F♯ A♯ ∞ (ignoring the locked groove), the group's shortest album to date, timing in at just forty minutes.

The album was announced on 24 February 2015; the group also shared an excerpt of "Peasantry or 'Light! Inside of Light!'" on SoundCloud.[14] On 24 March 2015, Constellation streamed the album on their SoundCloud.

Critical reception

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At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album has received an average score of 84, indicating "universal acclaim".[2]

Pitchfork rated the album 7.6 out of a possible 10 and Mark Richardson described the album as a "different kind of transaction" and that while listening to the album "You have to let your guard down" as that Godspeed "transforms feelings into compelling records. They're still on track."[15] Writing for Exclaim!, Nilan Perera called the record "a beautiful, concise blast that conveys this band's musical essence".[6]

Track listing

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The album's four tracks are based on "Behemoth", played live numerous times since 2012 and previously recorded onstage for the concert series We Have Signal.[16]

No.TitleLength
1."Peasantry or 'Light! Inside of Light!'"10:28
2."Lambs' Breath"9:52
3."Asunder, Sweet"6:13
4."Piss Crowns Are Trebled"13:50

Personnel

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Godspeed You! Black Emperor

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Technical personnel

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Charts

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Chart (2015) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 37
French Albums (SNEP)[18] 179
US Billboard 200[19] 129

References

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  1. ^ a b "GY!BE - 'Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress' - Constellation Records". Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress". AllMusic. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Godspeed You! Black Emperor punctuates chaos with hope". The A.V. Club. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Album Review: Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  6. ^ a b Perera, Nilan (31 March 2015). "Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress". Exclaim!. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  7. ^ Costa, Maddy (26 March 2015). "Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress review – a resolute, defiant return". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress Review". Paste Magazine. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  10. ^ "Review: Godspeed You! Black Emperor Renew Their Orchestral Bombast on 'Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress'". Spin. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Sputnikmusic Review". Sputnikmusic. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Godspeed You! Black Emperor – "Pleasantry Or 'Light! Inside of Light'" (Excerpt) & 'Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress' Details". 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  13. ^ Music, Guardian (25 February 2015). "Godspeed You! Black Emperor announce new album". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Godspeed You! Black Emperor Announce New Album Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress". Pitchfork. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  15. ^ "Godspeed You! Black Emperor Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  16. ^ Empire, Kitty (29 March 2015). "Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress review – threat and grandeur". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  17. ^ "Godspeed You Black Emperor | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  18. ^ "Lescharts.com – Godspeed You Black Emperor – Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Godspeed You Black Emperor Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
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