Godspeed You! Black Emperor Essentials

This Montreal collective formed in 1994, and made a career out of blending calming soundscapes with a sense of grandeur. Their albums feature extended, slow-burn instrumentals built on tape loops, keyboards, horns, guitars, strings and found-sound audio bites; the tension in the songs rises from oblique musical turns and powerful dynamics. The group disbanded in 2003 after the noisy, Steve Albini-produced masterpiece Yanqui U.X.O.. When they officially reformed in 2010, the ensuing albums added to the band's legacy with ambience, noise, drone, and overwhelming power.