F♯ A♯ ∞

Genre defining & apocalypse conjuring. Slow, patient, and ominous - a frenzy gathers force and explodes, collapsing the boundary between inner turmoil and a world on fire.

This one is an easy 5 stars for me. I love this band and think that this was the best album. It's so incredibly bleak that you can't help but feel like you're in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The occasional spots of brightness feel like triumphant relief and hopes of salvation. Plenty of artists would try to depict a similar scene with their music, but I don't know of any that have done so as successfully as GY!BE. They absolutely deserve a spot on the list. It's obviously annoying that they're not on Spotify, though I sympathize with their reasons. They correctly identified the platform as part the military industrial complex that they criticize and wanted nothing to do with them. As much as I respect that, I have to say that listening on YouTube was pretty awful. Every 10 minutes, the music was interrupted by bright ads for purses with jarringly terrible dance music. What a contrast. Luckily, I was already very familiar with the music going in.

Post-rock classic. I expected this to be in the book, but it wasn't. Good to see it here.

Anarchist chamber music for the intellectual set. Decent album, but just not my scene.

This thing was a real journey. Don't know how to put it into words but it was something and at times cool but other times kinda dull.

I don't like Godspeed and I don't like how they changed the post-rock genre, and they very much did change the genre because almost everything post 90s that tried to be post-rock followed Godspeed's methodology. F Sharp A Sharp Infinity is very typical of their style, droning ambient soundscapes interspersed with rock-oriented crescendos, usually with spoken word segments sprinkled in about "society". As I said I don't like this style of post-rock but F Sharp A Sharp Infinity is probably one of the most important albums that exists (as well as its follow up), and it's widely celebrated by fans and critics alike. Should it be on the list: Yes 100%

Not as good as lift your skinny fists but still an amazing post rock album

I liked this one quite a bit more than the other Godspeed… records I’ve heard. Maybe they caught me in the right type of pessimistic mood and that’s why it worked for me today, but even in spite of that, I still found this record to be a little boring from time to time. Since they are a “multimedia” band, I think the occasional sense of boredom I experience with their music might be alleviated by the presence of those missing visual cues - like you’d experience in the live setting.

This wasn't available on Spotify, but I found the CD (longer) version easily enough. I didn't think I would like it, but the hour and a bit flew by and it just kept getting better and better. I don't know how many times I would listen to this as there's a lot of spoken word, but it certainly deserves four stars.

I'm not afraid to say I don't understand this.... But I'm glad you like it. It has its moments, but is way too out there and ambling for me. I don't deny that they are stellar artists, it's just not for me. Favourite songs: The Dead Flag Blues (the poem in this song is stellar. The Machine is, indeed, hemorrhaging) Least favourite songs: East Hastings 3/5

Favorite Track: The Dead Flag Blues

Muistan kun löysin tän bändin yläasteella. Sillon tykkäsin kovasti. Ja onhan se edelleen kova! ainakin 4/5. annetaan femma.

I wasn’t expecting the bagpipes.

f# a# fuck yeah

A very important album that should've been on the list if they cared to include any post-rock at all. Still, I'm not a big fan of this style and neither this band, but their influence is undeniable.

Some of the best background music out there. Have always enjoyed GY!BE, but hadn't listened to this one before. 3.5/5

. 5/10

Every time I see a post-something album on this list, I groan. If it's all bland, pointless mush.

Discovered them a couple of years ago. I like them quite a bit. Very moody and atmospheric. This should have been in the original list.

Outstanding album, one of my all time favourites.

Dystopian noise. I like the idea of Godspeed you! Black Emperor, but sitting and listening to them is uncomfortable.

An essential for post-rock!

Inte alls tokigt. Låter lite som filmmusik.

They played music every so often on this record. The other time is spent being pretentious. This album isn’t enjoyable unless you’re on the right mix of drugs. On the plus side, it has a perspective that doesn’t stray. A solid theme and style throughout the whole thing. It feels original and it’s certainly unique. I’m glad someone can enjoy this, but I will not be listening again if I can help it. 2/5

There’s something about GY!BE that I do enjoy. Of its genre I think they are just a bit more compelling.

One of my favorite albums of all time. It’s so emotionally powerful. It’s beautiful, yet bleak at the same time. The opening monologue haunts me.

Love these guys. Great addition!

Such a sublime album, adding another album to my list of bands I never knew existed. 4/5

I think it's fascinating that I've even heard of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. They appear to be truly independent and anti-establishment at a level most bands only aspire to, so how does this Montreal band have enough name recognition that I've heard of them? (But never heard them.) I'm glad they've stuck to their principals, even though that led to their current streaming service boycott that made me find them on YouTube and tolerate the interruption of ads. And I'm glad I tolerated it, because "F♯ A♯ ∞" is a great listen. Rewarding if you pay close attention and sink into it; great for setting the vibe if you let it just sink into the background. Post-rock can be too "post," but GY!BE seems to find just the right distance most of the time.

Honestly I was a little sceptical but it was super interesting. I’m not a massive fan of the speaking over the music but it had a nice spook and vibe.

Great nomination - not anything like the usual fare, but rather cinematic / mysterious / almost un-categorizable. Another good example of a/the correct album cover: really gives a fair insight into "describing" what you're going to hear. Not on streaming and/but I'd forgotten all about this band.... remembering back in the early "download days" I'd been given a copy of this album and was able to dig it out of my still-existing massive mp3 external hard drive this morning :P Yeah it's probably best as background music but not in an ambient way - more like a "close your eyes for an hour on the couch on a rainy afternoon way" - glad I was able to resurrect this and I'll probably buy a copy 25 years late :P 8/10 4 stars IMO: Belonged in the book? Yes.

Always loved this band, but they make you wait for it, even when compared to bands in their ilk.

I have no idea what to say about GYBE albums, nor do I think having a lot to describe about the music and vocal content is particularly the point of their albums. They just are, and you either feel it or you don't. This is one of my favorites, but then again, the current one I'm listening to is always one of my favorites. I love this band so fucking much. Go see them live if you can 5/5

This was rougher than I'd hoped. When it hits, it hits. But holy hell. I NEEDED a little more melody. Just a LITTLE bit.

These guys were epic before the term/concept was invented. The textures vary enough to retain interest. The spoken word bits feels a bit uneccessary, but fine. The tensions are great, the risings from tragic to triumphant and back again. Definitely could go on list proper, replacing just from 1997 Mariah Carey (obvs) and Robbie Williiams (obvs again), but also (for one's money) Daft Punk and David Holmes and perhaps even Supergrass (for reasons of seriousness of intent). Thanks recommender for reminding one that this universe.

Post-rock. Rollo sin sentido. Un 1.

Post-rock. Me ha gustado. Muy muy muy tranquilo.

"the car's on fire and there's no driver at the wheel, and the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides and a dark wind blows" Well due to their boycott of Spotify this was all greyed out for me but since I nominated one of their other albums for this list I think you'll know what I think..... I love everything about this album from the bleak cover to the monumental wall of sound. This whole album is a beautiful gem in a sea of detritus.

Just taken off of streaming, but I don't mind, I bought the album on Bandcamp the moment I found out, and you should, too. Support artists directly if you can! That being said, listening to that very version on Bandcamp, as the LP, vinyl version, while the original, is not exactly quite as accessible. Anyway, the album itself is mystifying. There are plenty of moments on this record that you could argue aren't even fully "music," but the overall tone of the album is such a foreboding, heavy feeling that feels like the world could rip itself apart at any moment, and when it all comes to a climax, you find yourself swept up in all the right emotions. It can be a long wait, and if you're impatient like me you may start to doubt the album, but it always pays off; just let it cook.

I get the inclusion of the GY!BE album on the conventional list. It’s moody, ethereal, and instrumentally different. This one is more of the same and not significantly different. Perhaps my ears aren’t discerning enough - I’d pick just one and perhaps add a Weezer or Dua Lipa or Lil Wayne album on this list because they ain’t none of them yet.

September 13, 2025 HL: "East Hastings" im scard Honestly, there aren't many bands that don't piss me off when their songs are upwards of 20 minutes long. That IS part of the reason why I put off Lift Yr Skinny Fists for a good while, but between that one, this one & their most recent album ("No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead"), I'm starting to think I really like this band.

Atmospheric and cinematic, mysterious and dark. Not really for me though.

Had to find it on YouTube as they have pulled their music from most streaming platforms. I am so glad that I did hunt it down. I find on this list there are a lot of records that seem to be just good rock records without being clear why someone would call them 1001 to hear before you die (I would love if as submitters we had a paragraph of why we thought it hit 1001 worthy). This one was obvious to me. Content, sound, recording quality all of it interesting and different. I would not call this just another rock record.

I enjoyed F♯ A♯ ∞ a lot more than the last GY!BE album we had in April. That one was too far up its own arse, this one is more enjoyable for the most part, though still not really my thing as post-rock is just prog by a different name. It was good music to work to, had enough intensity to overcome some of the weirdness and annoying sounds thrown in for the sake of it, probably earns a 3/5.

Atmospheric! And funny to see another Godspeed so close in succession. It was great! And some really pretty parts. Creative and weird and interesting.

Another excellent GY!BE album. It's a classic for sure.

Getting this album just the day after GY!BE pulled all their music from streaming services is almost prophetic. The list was in dire need of some post-rock, and this is an excellent choice. Seeing the band live in concert is an experience - they are about as interactive with the crowd as one would imagine.

"the car's on fire and there's no driver at the wheel and the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides and a dark wind blows the government is corrupt and we're on so many drugs with the radio on and the curtains drawn we're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine and the machine is bleeding to death the sun has fallen down and the billboards are all leering and the flags are all dead at the top of their poles it went like this: the buildings tumbled in on themselves mothers clutching babies picked through the rubble and pulled out their hair the skyline was beautiful on fire all twisted metal stretching upwards everything washed in a thin orange haze i said: "kiss me, you're beautiful - these are truly the last days" you grabbed my hand and we fell into it like a daydream or a fever we woke up one morning and fell a little further down - for sure it's the valley of death i open up my wallet and it's full of blood." Not found on Spotify, because Spotify is part of the horrible war machine mentioned in that introductory speech up there, taken from the Canadian act's essential post-rock debut. Godspeed You! Black Emperor's art has indeed long riled against the corporate alliance between the music and war industries (see that paranoid chart on the back cover of their third album *Yanqui UXO*). And things are even clearer now. So it turns out Efrim and his comrades have been right all along, from the very start. And beyond the political stances and sadly resigned end-of-the-world speeches and soundbites, every second of the heartrending instrumental music on *F♯ A♯ ∞* also proves it. Music for the last days indeed. ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 40 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 48 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 94 ---- Émile, as-tu lu ma dernière réponse sous la review de "Chet" ?

Listened to this a decade or so ago. Good stuff but also I find it draining and don't really care for some of the voiceovers. Today I played the CD/streaming version and later the LP via youtube. CD is definitely preferred if only because it lacks the untitled 'I don't know what to do' banjo track on side 1. Locked groove at the end of LP side 2 is pretty cool tho. See you again in the 2030's, F♯ A♯ ∞!

Very good. I love the atmospheric sounds. Their later albums are better but this is still good.

Absolutely perfect timing because I saw 28 Years Later after listening to this album. Not sure why I didn't listen to this sooner, but it's a unique take on post-rock, bringing in jazz and classical influences.

I started listening to this on a rainy drive to work day. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Loved the thematic sessions

I think I have found myself on the wrong room at a party because a quick browse of the comments reveals most people in here love this album. All credit to anyone who loves an album so much that they submit it to this list. I am yet to submit one so I am on rocky ground. But why this album? What do y’all hear in this that I’m missing?

I didn't enjoy the other Godspeed record but this one hit with me. I just wish they would split up the tracks. This album is very, very, very vibey and I was in the right move for the vibes. Still wish they would split up the tracks! I want to listen to certain parts but am not going to listen to a 30 minute song all that often. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes.

It was okay, a bit too much atmospheric soundscape and not enough guitar for my liking.

I don't get it

this is the second album by this band on the user submitted list and I can honestly say their music is just not something that I enjoy.

Not as well paced as their later works (by that I mean literally their next album), but still amazing. One of the most apocalyptic-sounding albums of all time and a side of post-rock that wasn't captured by the original list at all. Wish the LP version was available on streaming as well.

I like the idea of it more than the execution. Funny how there are two Godspeed You! Black Emperor albums since starting the user nominated albums but none before -- I guess their fans are very dedicated.

Never listened to these guys before, and this wasn't at all what I was expecting (Thought it was going to be, like, black metal or something). Instead, it's a masterwork of ambient, atmospheric soundscaping. Super cool!

“The band had reached an unwieldy 15 members. In preparation of the album, they trimmed their numbers to ten” These guys have an odd take on brevity. Sounds like the boring bits between tracks of Entroducing…..

More than 1 hour of noise split into 3 songs with a silence of many minutes in the last one? The essence of what I wanted and didn't know how to ask!

Don’t get it

Canadian art collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor building on the backs of Talk Talk and Swans to create a new, apocalyptic form of post-rock. Using space and dissonance, the group evokes images of empty urban landscape and crumbling society. There are few albums feel more like an auditory experience rather than a collection of songs, and this is one of them. Stretches of somber atmosphere that eventually build to a swelling crescendo that pays off immensely. This is the album that directly inspired 28 Days Later, which isn't hard to believe when you find out that East Hastings made its way into the film. It's an album that feels bigger than you or I. It's a full, complete, honest-to-god work of art and it probably needs to be played at the end of the world or something. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Yes, without a doubt.

Prog folk, but better than that probably sounds to most people. Lots of field recordings, and three very long songs, and an absolute joy

No words obviously (again)

A pivotal and atmospheric post-rock debut for sure, but not quite as powerful or enduring as its follow-up Lift Your Skinny Fists…

Listening to this now I realize how long it’s been since I last did. A very good album, although I don’t find it as amazing as others here do. I’ve also never quite gotten around to how the climactic build-ups just fizzle out and move to the next section. Still, my favourite GY!BE record alongside Slow Riot For New Zerø Kanada, and something that should have been on the book’s original roster

I wasn't sure how I was going to do with this album, but I found it very compelling. It managed to keep me involved the whole, long way through. Wow.

I am not sure I know what to make of this... why, I can make a hat... or a broach... or a pterodactyl... This was actually quite interesting and I'm pretty sure I liked it.

I was listening to this just the other week. Great record.

This one’s early in their career, before they re-watched the Japanese bousouzoku documentary and realized they’d misplaced the exclamation! mark. My response to this album is heavily influenced by my handmade limited edition vinyl copy, which includes interesting little artworks, a penny flattened by a train on the track, and a locked groove at the end of the album, so that it drones on softly into ∞, never stopping until you pick up the needle. I love that attention to detail. The music? Post-rock cowboys and trains, of course, right down to the dreamy steel guitar. What the West was built on, a waltzing homage to the emptiness of an aging and dead destiny just before the turn of the 21st century. Anyone remember that part where astronaut Dave enters the monolith as it orbits Jupiter? Yeah, this album sounds like that at one point. And then Dave evolves into a mosquito.

I'm not sure how to rate this because I literally couldn't hear anything. Talk about minimalist

Maybe the best album to listen to while driving on a dark, deserted highway at night.

Almost exclusively instrumentals. I dig it!

Loved it & I want the limited edition vinyl mentioned in a review which includes "a locked groove at the end of the album, so that it drones on softly into ∞" Yes!

Wow, three tracks at an hour. That's impressive. I've seen their name before but haven't listened to any and I'm not sure I would. Not bad, but three long songs that are mostly ambient. Maybe I set my expectations wrong on this one but was thinking there would be a "band" presence. Not sure why, but hey I'm glad I got to listen to them finally.

One of those bands that music snobs love. Pretty sure I've heard their "lift your fists" album, but I'm otherwise not well-versed in their music. This one's really cool though, only three tracks and they're all varying degrees of foreboding and apocalyptic. The first was my favorite, for the spoken bit that opened it. Cool how each song is effectively a suite of music, meandering through different territories so it's not just 15-20 minutes of the same thing. Really, really dig this though, consider me a fan. Favorite tracks: Liked 'em all, but The Dead Flag Blues reigns supreme. Album art: Menacing, foreboding, and hard to see picture of what looks to be a highway sign and some lights over a highway. Very vague, has that found footage vibe, as does some of the music. I like it. 4.5/5

Brilliant. Thanks for the recommendation.

I’m a big post rock fan, (Mogwai was my pick) so this post rock masterpiece was always getting 5 stars. Really should be on the main list!

Dumb annoying artist name to try and search for.

Apocalyptic. Dark. Almost film-score ish. The record plays some hope near the end, though it's not all sunshine, and has a bit of a militaristic feel to it. There's a lot of space, which can be good, but I think it hits dead air a few times. Makes me very interested to listen to the rest of their catalog.

This falls in the category of albums I’m glad I listened to and will never ever revisit. It was a solid hour of unsettling atmospheric ambient music and nothing I really need to hear again.

Post-rock. Rollo sin sentido. Un 1.

Hmmm... not sure I understand it.

Fascinating. There's probably 10 minutes of good ambient vibe and then 50 minutes of uninteresting recordings and noise. There's nothing that's particularly offputting, there's just so much to wade through in order to get to the few high points in the album.

Got a bit boring

Lovely, atmospheric and bleak. I mean it's also got East Hastings, which thanks to 28 Days Later we know is up there with Goblin as the perfect soundtrack to a zombie apocalypse!

Haunting prairie melodic punk

I appear to have listened to the extended version. Was good though, was going to call it background music but it constantly grabbed my attention. 3.3

Atmospheric post rock. Three 20-odd minute tracks that meander through your soul. Rating: 3.5 Playlist track: The Dead Flag Blues Date listened: 04/09/24

I love atmospheric post-rock. This album will be added to my rotation and I am excited to explore their catalog further. This album is cinematic, expansive, and incredibly poignant. The emotional release is staggering.

For background noise

This is some interesting prog art rock instrumental combo album. This is definitely a complex album and there were parts that I thought were peculiar while others I enjoyed listening to. This isn’t something I would revisit but it was definitely interesting. 5.0/10

Wow. What a fine choice, and a perfect album to get as my first "extra" album after finishing the project. If this is any indication of the albums I'm going to hear from this point on, I am so ready. Minimalist, unsettling and hauntingly beautiful with a cinematic feel. This is a movie I would love to see.

Rating: 6/10

Very different "rock". Designed to be atmospheric and there is definitely an Ennio Morricone vibe.

Genre: Post-rock from 1997. The band in from Canada. I listened to the 63 minute CD release. Over the past couple months I have heard the album a few times. But, as I sit here listening to it now, it is like the first time I ever heard it.... It seems like it could be the soundtrack to a Stephen King book in the Gunslinger series... It is an album that is more about atmosphere than it is catchy tunes.... I think if I hear it a dozen more times, It could grow on me.... Standouts: Everything on the album and nothing at the same time. Rating: 3/5

The car's on fire and there's no driver at the wheel

Definitely too long. Great composition and entertaining, once the noisy intros are done...