Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000)

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven is the second studio album by Godspeed You! Black Emperor (GY!BE), released in 2000. Recorded at Chemical Sound Studios in Toronto and released under the Constellation Records label, the album comprises four long tracks, each approximately 20 minutes in length, and represents one of the pinnacles of the band’s experimental post-rock style.

Compared to the band’s earlier works, the album features broader instrumentation and more complex structures. Each track is divided into multiple sections, taking the listener on a profound and emotional journey. Tracks like "Storm" and "Sleep" exemplify the band’s signature atmospheric and epic style.

The album cover features a figure raising their hands to the sky, reflecting the "antennas to heaven" phrase in the title. The album received critical acclaim and is regarded as one of the most significant works in the post-rock genre.

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven marks an important milestone in Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s musical evolution and served as an inspiration for their subsequent works.

Album Line-Up

The line-up for this album showcases the instrumental richness and creative depth of the band. The extended instrumentation significantly contributes to the album’s atmospheric intensity.

• Efrim Menuck – Guitar
• Mike Moya – Guitar
• Mauro Pezzente – Bass guitar
• Thierry Amar – Bass guitar, double bass
• David Bryant – Guitar, tape loops
• Sophie Trudeau – Violin
• Norsola Johnson – Cello
• Aidan Girt – Drums, percussion
• Bruce Cawdron – Drums, percussion, glockenspiel
• Roger Tellier-Craig – Guitar

Tracklist

The album consists of four extended tracks, each divided into multiple sections. These compositions emphasize the band’s atmospheric depth and experimental approach, offering listeners a deeply emotional journey.

1. Storm – (22:32)
   • "Lift Yr. Skinny Fists, Like Antennas to Heaven..."
   • "Gathering Storm / Il Pleut à Mourir [+Clatters Like Worry]"
   • "'Welcome to Barco AM/PM...' [L.A.X.; 5/14/00]"
   • "Cancer Towers on Holy Road Hi-Way"
2. Static – (22:35)
   • "Terrible Canyons of Static"
   • "Atomic Clock."
   • "Chart #3"
   • "World Police and Friendly Fire"
   • "...[Outro]"
3. Sleep – (23:17)
   • "Murray Ostril: '...They Don't Sleep Anymore on the Beach...'"
   • "Monheim"
   • "Broken Windows, Locks of Love Pt. III."
   • "3rd Part"
4. Antennas to Heaven – (18:57)
   • "Moya Sings 'Baby-O'..."
   • "Edgyswingsetacid"
   • "'Glockenspiel Duet Recorded on a Campsite in Rhinebeck, N.Y.'"
   • "'Attention...Mon Ami...Fa-Lala-Lala-La-La...' [55-St.Laurent]"
   • "She Dreamt She Was a Bulldozer, She Dreamt She Was Alone in an Empty Field"
   • "Deathkamp Drone"
   • "Antennas to Heaven..."