F♯A♯∞

In 1995, Mauro Pezzente moves to the attic in one of the Mail End houses, Montreal . Pezzente uses the attic as a venue for meetings and creative evenings, calling it Gallery Quiva. In 1996, because of the offspring from the car repair shop, which was lower, he moves out of the apartment. Shortly after leaving Pezzente, Efrim Menuck took over the living space and established Hotel2Tango there as a training base and recording studio. Here, in 1997, the original recording of F♯ A♯ ∞ took place. At this point, the group consisted of 15 people. In the process of preparing the album, the number of participants was reduced to 10.

The result of their work was a pair of lengthy compositions lasting about 20 minutes each. After the release, the group was about to give a tour of the USA . In order to bring the music to more people, they sent the album to Chicago's Kranky record label. The studio was impressed with the material and offered to reprint it. The group quickly returned to the studio and re-recorded the album, which was released in July 1998. As a result of such events, the album underwent changes - there were three compositions, and the total duration was now about an hour.

All tracks have a number of sound samples, dubbed David Keenan, editor of the music magazine Wire , “ eschatological recording loops”. Thus, the general theme of the album is called apocalyptic. British director Danny Boyle was inspired by this album during filming " 28 Days Later " During an interview with The Guardian, he explained, "I always try to have a soundtrack in my head when making a movie. For example, when I shot “ On the Needle ”, it was Underworld tracks. For me, the soundtrack to “28 Days Later” was Godspeed You! "

The first track, “The Dead Flag Blues,” begins with an ominous introduction that originates from an unfinished script written by guitarist Efrim Menuck . To the monotonous rhythm of the melody, Menuck talks about a city where corrupt power prevails, and residents are in a narcotic delirium. The introduction is accompanied by train sounds and other loud noises. This part eventually grows into a more positive musical motif, filled with a violin, cello and guitar.

The second track, “East Hastings,” is named after one of the streets in the abandoned Vancouver Eastside. It begins with a bagpipe reminiscent of the theme of “The Dead Flag Blues” and the cries of a street preacher. The sermon slowly calms down and goes into a new part called “The Sad Mafioso ...”, an edited version of which appeared in the movie “28 Days Later”.

The last track, “Providence,” is significantly longer than the first two, lasting about 30 minutes. James Oldham of NME described him as "the Good, the Bad, the Evil " and the Spiritualized . " The introduction includes part of an interview with a man from the street , which is a reference to the release of “A Country Boy Can Survive” by Hank Williams . Speech is quickly replaced by a musical component of a cello, violin, and French horn. At the peak of the melody, drums and distorted female singing are added. At the end, a voice asks the listener: “Where are you going? Where are you going?". This voice is a sample of Godspell's song “By My Side”. This is followed by a collage of sounds, samples and a drone . A few minutes of silence ensue, and then a track dedicated to John Lee Hooker .

The name of the album is pronounced "F-sharp, La sharp, infinity." This is a reference to musical keys from which the composition starts and ends. Initially, the record was looped. In the CD edition, looping was already absent.

One of the self-made photos - a water pump - got on the cover of the album. The disc contained such items: an old leaflet, a picture drawn by guitarist Efrim Menuck , one Canadian penny crushed by a train, a stencil image dedicated to the blues musician Gary Davis . Over time, the contents of the album were streamlined by the label.

The second edition has become much easier in decoration. In the CD edition, an image of a road sign was placed on the cover. Inside the album was a drawing of “Faulty Schematics of a Ruined Machine”, drawn by Efrim Menuck , redesigned since its first edition.

Initially, the group intended to release seven-inch records on their own. The idea was revised when Don Wilkie and Jan Ilawski, founders of the independent label Constellation , proposed to reprint it. The album was published in August 1997 as a limited edition. 500 numbered records packed by hand. The number of reviews at first was scanty. Stylus Magazine said that the album was “ innovative and inventive, ” and that “ it opens up unique territory for experimentation in the world of hackneyed feelings .” Gordon Krieger from Exclaim! called the album "a slow soundtrack of regret and sadness or hopeless expectation and hope for the future . "

Vinyl

CD

Notes

CD

• JLH Outro was named after John Lee Hooker . In the CD edition, it is hidden in about four minutes of silence at the end of Providence.

• Aidan Girt - Drums
• Bruce Cawdron - percussion
• Christof Migone - violin
• David Bryant - Guitar
• Efrim Menuck - Electric Guitar
• Mauro Pezzente - Bass Guitar
• Mike Moya - guitar, banjo
• Norsola Johnson - Cello
• Thea Pratt - French Horn
• Thierry Amar - Bass Guitar