Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada

Infobox Album |
Name = Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada
Type = EP
Artist = Godspeed You! Black Emperor


Background = Salmon
Released = March 8 1999
Recorded = The Gas Station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre = Post-rock
Length = 28:36
Label = Constellation CST006
Kranky KRANK034
Producer =
Reviews =
*Allmusic rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:71jqoaqaiij9 link]
*CanuckistanMusic [http://www.CanuckistanMusic.com/index.php?maid=36 link]
*Pitchfork (9.0/10) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/18128/Godspeed_You_Black_Emperor_Slow_Riot_for_New_Zero_Kanada_EP 4/1/99]

Last album = "aMAZEzine! 7""
(1998)
This album = "Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada"
(1999)
Next album = "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven"
(2000)

"Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada" is the first EP released by Godspeed You! Black Emperor on the Montreal-based record label Constellation Records in 1999.

Packaging

The album packaging makes only sparing reference to either the band or the album title: the outer packaging does not make any reference to Godspeed, but mentions them in the liner notes; the album title is only shown on the spine of the album cover. The song titles are not listed anywhere on the cover.

The cardboard album case is unique in that it opens in the opposite direction of a conventional CD case, this is due to the Hebrew writing being read from right to left.

The front of the album contains Hebrew characters, in transliterated form, "tohu va vohu". This phrase is used in both Genesis 1:2 and Jeremiah 4:23, and means loosely "and lo, it was waste and void". The dots and dashes above the letters are called trope. They dictate the tune and intonation and are found in the Torah as well as the rest of the Hebrew Bible. On the inside cover, this text is put into greater context, with provided in both Hebrew and English (seemingly the Jewish Publication Society version):

:²³ I beheld the earth,:And, lo, it was waste and void;:And the heavens, and they had no light.:²⁴ I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled,:And all the hills moved to and fro.:²⁵ I beheld, and, lo, there was no man,:And all the birds of the heavens were fled.:²⁶ I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness,:And all the cities thereof were broken down:At the presence of the LORD,:And before His fierce anger.:²⁷ For thus saith the LORD::The whole land shall be desolate;:Yet will I not make a full end.

The back of the EP contains a diagram with instructions in Italian on how to make a molotov cocktail.

BBF3

The song "BBF3", or "Blaise Bailey Finnegan III", refers to the vox pop interviewee of the same name, whose eccentric ramblings form the core of the EP's second track. Finnegan recites a poem which he claims to have written himself. The poem is, in fact, mostly composed of lyrics from the song "Virus" by Iron Maiden that were written by their then-vocalist, Blaze Bayley. Blaise Bailey Finnegan III is also apparently the same person being interviewed at the beginning of "F♯A♯∞"'s "Providence," and indeed some concert performances of "BBF3" also incorporate that sample. Additionally, the "Providence" sample was used by the band to end their performance of "Steve Reich" during their live session for VPRO Radio in 1998.

Track listing

#"Moya" – 10:51
#"BBF3" or "Blaise Bailey Finnegan III" – 17:45

Personnel

* Efrim Menuck — guitar, keyboards
* David Bryant — guitar, tapes
* Mauro Pezzente — bass guitar
* Thierry Amar — bass guitar
* Aidan Girt — drums, percussion
* Bruce Cawdron — drums, percussion, keyboards
* Sophie Trudeau — violin
* Norsola Johnson — cello
* Mike Moya — guitar

External links

* [http://cstrecords.com/cst006.html Constellation's Information Page on "Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada"]