Deciphering Godspeed You! Black Emperor's 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!' Album Art

Godspeed You! Black Emperor -- the ever-elusive purveyors of dystopian gloom and doom -- have emerged from the woodwork (i.e. their Mile End, Montreal abodes) to release their first album in a decade, entitled Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!

Musically speaking, the album contains the sort of long-form apocalyptic crescendos we've come to expect from the post-rock collective, but there are hints embedded in the music, and perhaps more overtly in the packaging, that suggest the timing of this release is quite specific -- and came together fairly quickly.

For those unaware, this past summer the city of Montreal was swept up in a groundswell youth movement protesting against the proposed raising of university tuition fees. These public protests filled the streets nightly and eventually resulted in the provincial government enacting Bill 78, which curtailed the rights of protesters and made the entire situation a whole lot more combustible.

They were exciting, politically charged times for the citizens of Godspeed's hometown, and although the band was largely silent while these protests were in full swing (unlike Arcade Fire or Stars, for example), Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! is undoubtedly a belated show of solidarity. Mostly though, the vinyl packaging is a veritable codex of weird text and pictures -- and trying to infer a deeper meaning is all part of the pointless fun of a new Godspeed album.

So that's just what we did. Click to launch the Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! unpack gallery below.