Formed in Montreal in 1994, Godspeed You! Black Emperor is an experimental outfit known for its large collection of 9 semi-permanent members and lengthy post-rock instrumentals. With a sound that often includes recorded snippets from AM radio, street preachers and gas station intercom announcements, the band released its first album F♯ A♯ ∞, pronounced "F-sharp, A-sharp, Infinity," in 1997 and toured regularly in the years that follows. Though Godspeed You! Black Emperor announced its hiatus in 2003 so its members could concentrate on their various side projects, the band eventually reunited and continued its constant touring schedule in 2010. The band dropped its fifth studio album and first release in a decade, 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!, in 2012.