GUAPO

There are times, just times you understand, when I question my sanity. Having now played this album a few times I wonder how can anyone enjoy listening to music where it is at the very edge of the definition? I can honestly say that I don't think that I would have listened to this all the way through when I was younger ? like broad beans and brussel sprouts this is something that is almost exclusively the preserve of those who are older and can savour the experience. The band has been going for 19 years, and currently comprises drummer and founding member David J. Smith with mainstays Kavus Torabi (Cardiacs, Knifeworld) on guitar and James Sedwards (Nøght) on bass, joined by recent addition Emmett Elvin (Chrome Hoof, Knifeworld) on keyboards.

Now as soon as I see the name Cardiacs I sit up and pay attention, and have also enjoyed what I have heard from Knifeworld, but it is fair to say that these guys understanding of music here (the label helpfully provides some references such as controlled chaos, atonal harmony, uplifting darkness, and beautiful destruction) is quite different to many. They seem to mix RIO with prog, and while King Crimson is a fairly obvious reference it is possible to also bring Magma, Univers Zero, elements of Can, The Mars Volta etc. easy listening this isn't.

This instrumental album only contains three songs, and the first of these is twenty six minutes long so it is heads down and see you at the end. There are large similarities with free jazz, although never quite veering into that territory although reedmen Thomas Scott and Dave Newhouse from Maryland avant jazz-rock institution The Muffins are some of the guests taking part. The label describes this as "Sun Ra jamming with Stravinsky", and if that makes you believe that this can be hard work to listen to, yet ultimately rewarding, then you would be right. This will only appeal to a small part of the music buying public, but those who enjoy finding something different need to investigate further. www.cuneiformrecords.com

BLACK ONI is Guapo's statement to the music world that their breakout FIVE SUNS is not a one-shot attempt, and they even dare to progress a bit from the FIVE SUNS. If that album was mostly RIO crossed with Zeuhl with a bit of Crimson for taste, BLACK ONI runs in more of a post-rock direction that bolsters the already fresh sound of Guapo. They also kept things in relative taste as just the BLACK ONI epic (in five sections) appears on the album. It allows for better focus on the heart of the epic as the two end pieces of FIVE SUNS were rather distracting.

''Part IV'' is really where the slight sonic adjustments were made from FIVE SUNS to BLACK ONI. It is essentially tonal post-symphonic rock that sets the mood and tension. Unlike the minute of silence after the epic on the last album, the quietude allows for a breather to prepare for the intensity of the final part of the epic.

BLACK ONI establishes itself a competent equal for FIVE SUNS, but in the long run doesn't quite overshadow its predecessor enough to grab the spotlight. The two are like brother and sister albums.

I am so blown away by this CD! I had found a used copy of this CD at a Eugene, Oregon record store for cheap. I couldn't believe I found a Guapo CD (Eugene isn't exactly a bastion of obscure prog in record stores, but they do appear out of the nowhere from time to time), and although I heard of them for a few years, this is my first try at them and I am ever so glad I did! Black Oni was their followup to Five Suns, and actually features the same lineup of bassist Matt Thompson, drummer Dave Smith, and keyboardist Daniel O'Sullivan. Matt Thompson is the brother of Andy Thompson, he of Litmus, and most importantly, the Planet Mellotron website. It should come as no surprise the Mellotron on this album is Andy's, since he is a Mellotron owner.

For those who want to play it safe, pretty much want to stay in the Marillion safety zone, you'll be running like hell listening to this! It's harsh, abrasive, with a doomy feel too it. Angular guitar riffs, heavily fuzzed bass, and lots of electric piano, and Mellotron on the fifth and final part. This is no doubt RIO. This stuff is heavily influenced by the more extreme King Crimson with the angular guitar riffs, Magma with the heavily fuzzed bass, and Univers Zero with that doomy feel overall. Also I noticed a bit of a Canterbury feel at times, whenever O'Sullivan uses some nice dreamy use of the electric piano, which really seems at odds with the noisy, often heavily distorted guitar and fuzz bass, but I love this approach, so I'm not complaining. This brand of prog is certainly not for everyone. But I love the intensity this group gives here, with some great drumming from Dave Smith too. At just 43 minutes, it's just right, so the music never overstays its welcome. For the average neo-prog fan, stay away, but for those who like the more extreme end of prog, you need this CD!

Guapo's Black Oni is much in the same vein as the preceding Five Suns - an intoxicating blend of mid-1970s King Crimson, early Univers Zero, classic-era Magma and a whole bunch more besides. Once again, the band take a Magma-inspired approach to compositional structure, producing an album-length suite which is full of twists and turns and remains vivid and entertaining right to the end, and on the whole I think there's a bit more of a Univers Zero vibe about this one than the previous one, but really they're much of a muchness - if you like one, you'll like the other, if you don't like one you'll most likely like neither.

Sure, the influences of Guapo might be fairly typical for RIO bands - Magma, the mid-1970s incarnation of King Crimson and Univers Zero - but it's the way they bring these influences together on Five Suns which makes it such a fun trip. You have the Magma influence in the deep, pulsating rhythms and the epic song structures (the main event here being a 45 minute track), you have the wild guitar excursions and Mellotron-mania of Red-era King Crimson, and you have the mysterious and frightening aesthetic of Univers Zero, all brought together in an avant-prog attack which will also appeal to many symphonic prog listeners.

'Towers Open Fire' - Guapo (3/10)

The 90's in rock music represented a bitter rebellion against the overproduced glitz of the decade prior. Although few bands would take the dissonance and fuzz as far as Guapo, it was not unprecedented for an artist to give their music a darker atmosphere. In the case of Guapo's experimental rock debut 'Towers Open Fire', the best word to describe it may be 'jarring'. Bringing in a bevy of sounds from every corner of the ugly spectrum, this is a difficult and inaccessible listen. That does not mean however, that there is much depth to the sound. Although Guapo's ambition to hurt their listeners' ears is admirable, with each listen to 'Towers Open Fire', the failed mixture of noise, hardcore punk, and jazz fusion only gets more irritating to listen to.

Guapo's sound may be compared to 90's era King Crimson, without the technical proficiency. They most reminded me of the Japanese noise rock act Zeni Geva, however scarce of KK Null's samurai yell and distinctive charm. For a three piece, Guapo can certainly get a lot of sounds going at once. Sadly, none of them are particularly well done, and many are downright unpleasant to listen to. Matt Thompson's vocals are not so much 'singing' as what I might liken to the sound of a drunk British teenager yelling at authority figures. The bass sparks an interesting thought or two- an eerie passage on 'Ceasefire Ends' illustrates this- but it's more than usually flooded over by guitars and waves of sharp electronic noise. Although 'Towers Open Fire' is unsuccessful as an album overall, many of the guitar ideas are quite interesting. Despite being executed in a rough, untuned, punk-like style, there are jazz fusion chords at work. It makes for a surprising dichotomy.

Had Guapo simply been composed of a bass, guitar, and uncoordinated drums, I would dismiss the work as amateurish and mediocre, but not 'bad'. Where 'Towers Open Fire' really goes wrong is with the electronic 'ambiance'. Dissonance has alot of untapped potential for emotional impact and power, but the noise here evokes only a dull pain inside my skull that some people like to call a headache. Not only that, but the ideas come together in such an incoherent way; although Guapo may repeat ideas, they're never concise enough to make for memorable songwriting, and never drawn out enough to create a sense of atmosphere. In short, 'Towers Open Fire' has ambition, but it falls short on virtually every front. To many people, this will be unlistenable, but even for someone open- minded enough to confront the ugly textures and freeform structure, it is difficult to recognize any depth underneath the shell. I won't say that Guapo's debut is utterly terrible, but for the effort a listener will have to put into this album, there is very little payoff.

To my mind (and ears) this is a Zeuhl album if I've ever heard one--and an awesome one, at that! The album starts off with the very cool, rather spacey "Five Suns, Part I" (8/10) which then slides into the amazing (Very ANEKDOTEN-like) "Five Suns, Part II" (10/10) The background synth and wave samples are so cool over the marching drums and driving bass lines. Unfortunately, the bass and drum act grows a little weary on the ears as the album goes on. Parts "III" and "IV" (7/10) maintain a high standard of musicianship and driving force but creativity and inspiration seem to wane a bit--there is little freshness to keep the listener glued, the repeated riffs seem, at times, almost infantile, though the drum and bass playing remains rather emotional. There is a little more jazzy side of GUAPO exposed in the softer parts of these songs. "Part V" is rather anticlimactic (and maybe intentionally so). By the time you move past the five movements of the Five Suns you are ready for something new--and boy do they deliver: a solid minute of virtual silence Ithe sounds I hear may be mechanical) titled "Untitled"!! This is followed by a song that is, IMO, the least interesting and least inspired song of the album, "Mictlan." Luckily, the last song, "Topan," (9/10) is another great one--a more sedate but highly skilled and melodic piece. Something here sounds like the pop jazz and jazz fusion I listened to in the 70s. The keys, I think. Or maybe the whole vibe they have going. Reminds me somehow of NIL's "Dérive." Anyway, this is a very, very good album. Part II is definitely one of my top ten favorite Zeuhl songs.

'Elexirs' is a more eclectic album then the 2 preceding ones. This offers the advantage of diversity, but the disadvantage of including experiments that might not please all fans. With their basic Zeuhl/dark jazz sound extended with post-rock, folk, avant-garde vocals and RIO, this album might not thrill everyone equally.

Things start just brilliantly with 'Jeweled Turtle', a seemingly quiet violin piece, but one with a threatening tension underneath the surface. It's the first time I hear Universe Zero's influence so prominently. Also 'Arthur, Elsie and Frances' has some of that dark UZ atmosphere. The quicker paced sections with drum and distorted bass guitar are typical instrumental modern Zeuhl. The last part of the track has some much appreciated post-rock influences

So far so good, but then follow the two 'Twisted Sterns' songs, which I guess divide the fanbase somewhat. I find the 'The Heliotrope' very disappointing and dreary, 'The Selenotrope' on the other hand works better for me, with its frighteningly tense atmosphere and guest vocals from Jarboe (being a huge fan of Swans may cloud my judgment here). 'The Planks' is an upbeat mid-eastern folky tune that lightens up the mood. On 'King Lindorm' they mix their Zeuhl sound again with post-rock and again it's very effective. I especially love how it ends, building up a crescendo in true canon fashion, circling loops around itself and leaving the listener dizzy and ultimately floored.

'Elexirs' is a challenging listen; one for avant fans with a degree, but there's still a strong rock vibe to the material, which is - for me at least - very helpful to get into this thick, dark but ultimately beautiful dissonance.

A strangely annoying and quite ugly album. The annoyance is that I think the album would have sounded far better with a few vocals thrown in. The ugly parts are the chord sequences themselves which just seems to grate my brain like nails down a chalkboard. Therefore I'm surprised that I've given this three stars. It's very well produced and does sound quite menacing in parts. The sum is greater than the individual parts and it's far more rewarding listening to the whole thing back to back rather than as individual tracks. 'Five Suns' doesn't really belong under the Zeuhl caregory. If it does - then give me Magma any day. I reckon it should be classed under RIO. Not bad - but I wouldn't go out my way to hear it.

Guapo's Five Suns is one of the most impressive albums I came to discover in my PA newbie days. Guapo play a very intense kind of instrumental Zeuhl, taking all the fire and impetus of Magma, but stripping the music to a bare skeleton of virulent drums and bass, building imposing layers of electronic effects, rhodes piano and mellotron on top. The result is pitch black, wild, entrancing and unsettling.

Guapo are decisively less jazzy then Magma or Dün but make up for that with a more rocking edge, adding post-rock dynamics, and everything between clean guitar textures and distorted dissonance. So we find ourselves on a meeting point between dark Magma and heavy Crimson, a universe also inhabited by Nebelnest and some of the early Anekdoten.

The bulk of the album is made up by the 45 minute Five Suns suite. It's one continuous piece of thundering bass, commanding drum rhythms and eerie electronics. A masterpiece of musical intensity. After a minute pause, the album concludes with two lighter pieces. Relatively speaking of course, but there's a touch of melodious development on Mitclan and an almost dreamy atmosphere on Topan.

Not suited for everyone's taste, this album could still be a good choice to challenge and shake one's harmonious sensibilities. If you're already into Magma, Crimson, Nebelnest and other examples of dark prog intensity then you obviously already own this one.