Guapo - Five Suns (7 tracks) +Album Reviews

Five Suns...four stars

J. Holmes | yokohama, japan | 10/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Guapo is an experimental UK-based instrumental rock band that has fallen under massive influence of the Zeuhl school of thought. early bands like Magma, Univers Zero, etc. paved the way for this kind of intense, repititious, and hard driving progressive kind of sound. and then japan's Ruins added to that sound with a furious hardcore/punk kind of edge. Guapo's take on the Zeuhl sound combines some distant eerie tones and a foreboding atmosphere which gives the music a real David Lynch kind of creepiness. the results are like a meeting between Goblin and Magma. on this album, Guapo has added a keyboard player and their sound has benefitted greatly from this additional member. the centerpiece of this album is the 5 part 46 minute title track. there are a few extra tracks that seem to be a bit unnessesary, almost feels like they are sort of just tacked on to the end to make the record a little bit longer. but that's a minor complaint when the album is this good."

Modern zeuhl

rclamitans | Lima, OH United States | 03/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Previous albums more closely resembled Ruins. However, the addition of a keyboardist/guitarist for Five Suns makes the group's sound more closely approximate some of the stripped-down zeuhl of Magma (without the singing and voices). Fans of Happy Family should enjoy Guapo's Five Suns, although Guapo is less manic on this album and more fully develops their themes. The dominant drums and bass guitar provide a bleak landscape darkly enshrouded by drifting waves of organ and mellotron. Part 1 of Five Suns gradually accumulates tension that resolves into the chaotic repetitive phrases that are developed in Part 2. Part 3 continues with repetitive themes that are a bit more subdued and that highlight organ. It gradually builds into frantic climax that dumps the listener in to Part 4. Parts 4 and 5 are somewhat more minimal and repetitive, and nightmarish. Part 5 gradually disassembles into the opening invocation of Part 1. A break between Five Suns and the final two pieces allows the listener's brain to regroup for further sonic onslaught. Mictlan is a dark and still relatively aggressive assemblage of repeated and gradually developed themes. The last, Topan, is the only piece of the album approaching melodic, and it ends the disk on a subdued note. Overall, this album is highly recommended listening for those looking for a modern successor to Magma and their ilk."

Wonderful Hard Prog!

Carl Johnson | Detroit, MI United States | 03/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am new to Guapo though they have been around for several years. I read the one other review and really have no basis for comparison, however...

Five Sun is a five part 40 plus minute piece. Yes, they have simularities to Magma BUT they also would fit in well backing bands like Mars Volta! The piece starts out with very regular instramentation. They perform the entire piece, building off of each other with no soloing... and you do NOT miss it! The whole piece is melodicaly based on 3 to 5 chord progressions and you do not get bored at all. The song is almost like a continuous rock concert finale and I thought I would have lost interest. I have NOT lost interest.

As a matter of fact, each time I listen to it, I discover different ways that the band has pulled together as an exciting, prog rock, working unit. The effects more than likely can be done during a live show, which this album makes me want to see.

I do not hear any simularities to the band Ruins or Henry Cow. I do hear the Magma, possibly some metal bands (I can not think of any particular band though) influence but it does not overshadow Guapo's originality. As a matter of fact, I think it makes them more appealing. Also, there are two more songs that are REALLY good on the CD. Excellent spin!"

Good Modern Psych Album (3/5)

M. Starr | Kansas City | 05/26/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you were to ask me what my favorite musical instrument is, I'd have to say it's the steel guitar. And if you were to ask me what my second favorite instrument is, I'd proclaim the Fender Rhodes as a very close second. Both of these instruments have some of the most distinctive qualities of sound, and both have the ability to add rich textures to any song. Coincidentally enough, Five Suns is an album that is highly occupied by a Fender Rhodes and many layers of reverberating drones. So, when I heard the first few moments of Five Suns, the most recent release from Guapo, you could say I was pretty happy. It has an amazing sadistic quality that never ceases to deliver; but it can also become a little monotonous when it wants to.The three members of this British ensemble have mastered the art of constructing very complex art rock. It becomes immediately apparent that there is something swelling underneath every one of these songs. As with a lot of psychedelic albums, Five Suns focuses on long tracks that take many twists and turns throughout their duration. Guapo actually does a great job at assisting these transitions with meticulous velocity and precise timing. In all honesty, though, the best moments here are when things are slowed down and allowed to focus on the subtle arrangements rather than taking it too far with walls of sound. This is particularly true in the case of "Five Suns, pt. 3," with its intermission-like jazz session. It's actually one of the only periods on the album where you feel like you can just take the music in with the smallest amount of effort. However, after the intermission track, which plays absolutely nothing but silence for an entire minute, the album finishes with the two best songs, "Mictlan" and "Topan." Both of these songs seem to take on a whole new character, even though they fit into the same basic mold as their predecessors. So I guess I'm not really sure what's holding me back from truly loving Five Suns. It has just about everything I could possibly want from a prog-rock album; I somehow just start to fade in and out of consciousness as the album progresses. Perhaps it's the simple fact that Guapo's basic formula doesn't change as often as it could. Perhaps it's the fact that the musical colors slowly run together to form an imperfect palate. Or perhaps it's just the simple fact that too much of a good thing can sometimes have a negative effect in the long run. At the end of the day, Five Suns is the absolute best "average" album on the planet."

Search - Guapo :: Five Suns

CD Details

CD Reviews

	Guapo Five Suns Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock Track Listings (7) - Disc #1 Five Suns Five Suns (Continued) Five Suns (Continued) Five Suns (Continued) Five Suns (Continued) Mictlan Topan
? Larger Image