Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven

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Professional reviews
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven

Studio album by Godspeed You Black Emperor!
Released	October 9, 2000
Recorded	February 2000 at Chemical Sounds in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre	Post-rock
Length	87:21
Label	Constellation CST012 Kranky KRANK043
All Music Guide link Almost Cool (8.25/10) link Pitchfork Media (9.0/10) link
Godspeed You Black Emperor! chronology
Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada (1999)	Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000)	Yanqui U.X.O. (2002)

Various pictures printed on the double vinyl sleeves. The flip side features black-and-white art by William Schaff.

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (also known as Levez Vos Skinny Fists Comme Antennas to Heaven) is a double album released by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, a Montreal post-rock band, on Constellation Records and Kranky in 2000. The album was recorded at Chemical Sounds in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2001, Q magazine named it as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time.

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven is peculiar in being structurally and conceptually closer to a symphony than a conventional pop or rock album. The four tracks are composed of internal movements, with different sub-titles, that fade into each other. The whole album is instrumental, except for sampled voice inserts, and starts with an almost orchestral crescendo somewhat reminiscent of Ravel's Bolero.

The inner panels of vinyl edition released by Constellation contain an interesting diagram used to illustrate the song names and lengths; each movement is drawn (by hand) as a square block and the length of the block is governed by how much of the song it takes up. Some of the blocks slowly move upwards to show a raise. The movement title and the numerical length are either above or below the square.

The interior covers of the CD feature art by the Rhode Island-based William Schaff. The double vinyl edition presents the same art, but on the sleeves instead. The flip side contains various images taken by the band.

1 Track listing
2 Band members
3 External links

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Disc one

"Storm" – 22:32
1. "Lift Yr. Skinny Fists, Like Antennas to Heaven..." – 6:15
2. "Gathering Storm/Il Pleut à Mourir [+Clatters Like Worry]" – 11:10
3. "'Welcome to Barco AM/PM...' [L.A.X.; 5/14/00]" – 1:15
4. "Cancer Towers on Holy Road Hi-Way" – 3:52
"Static" – 22:35
1. "Terrible Canyons of Static" – 3:34
2. "Atomic Clock." – 1:09
3. "Chart #3" – 2:39
4. "World Police and Friendly Fire" – 9:48
5. "[...+The Buildings They Are Sleeping Now]" – 5:25

[edit] Disc two

"Sleep" – 23:17
1. "Murray Ostril: '...They Don't Sleep Anymore on the Beach...'" – 1:10
2. "Monheim" – 12:14
3. "Broken Windows, Locks of Love Pt. III." – 9:53
"Antennas to Heaven" – 18:57
1. "Moya Sings 'Baby-O'..." – 1:00
2. "Edgyswingsetacid" – 0:58
3. "[Glockenspiel Duet Recorded on a Campsite In Rhinebeck, N.Y.]" – 0:47
4. "'Attention...Mon Ami...Fa-Lala-Lala-La-La...' [55-St. Laurent]" – 1:18
5. "She Dreamt She Was a Bulldozer, She Dreamt She Was Alone in an Empty Field" – 9:43
6. "Deathkamp Drone" – 3:09
7. "[Antennas to Heaven...]" – 2:02

[edit] Notes

"Broken Windows, Locks of Love Pt. III" was originally named "3rd Part."
"She Dreamt She Was a Bulldozer, She Dreamt She Was Alone in an Empty Field" was originally named "John Hughes."
"Monheim" and "Chart #3" were broadcast on January 19, 1999 on John Peel's radio show before the release of Skinny Fists as the first two movements of a piece called "Hung Over as the Queen in Maida Vale." The closing movement was named "Steve Reich" after the minimalist composer.
Time lengths of movements given are taken from the official discography.