Three years have passed since “Black Oni” (Ipecac R… Read Full Bio ↴ANCIENT HISTORY:
Three years have passed since “Black Oni” (Ipecac Records). Four years since “Five Suns”(Cuneiform Records). The new album by Guapo is finally here and thus concludes the recondite triptych they set out to accomplish. Flux is not uncommon here, every record taking on new musical hues and offering disparate ideas and perspectives. However an upheaval in the line-up, which of recent years has been anchored by the trio of Daniel O’Sullivan, Matthew Thompson and David Smith, triggered a change in course when Thompson left the band just prior to the release of Black Oni in 2005.
RECENT HISTORY:
In the interim O’Sullivan and Smith have been active with an abundance of other projects. Both members perform in the antique-prog band Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses. O’Sullivan’s work with Æthenor (Vhf Records), Mothlite (Southern Records), Grumbling Fur (Aurora Borealis Records) as well as moonlighting in the live line-up of Sunn O))) has been keeping him extremely busy. Smith created a large scale, multi media installation entitled “The Other Side of the Island” for which he made a soundtrack with O’Sullivan and Antti Uusimaki under The Stargazers Assistant moniker (the recordings of which were released on Aurora Borealis last year). Smith also plays with members of Coil, Cyclobe and Shockheaded Peters in the Amal Gamal Ensemble. Despite these distractions, Guapo has been maintained as a primary focus and “Elixirs” has been three years in the making. It is unequivocally Guapo’s most poignant and powerful work to date.
ELIXIRS:
“It lay quite still; he touched it, it was dead. Accustomed no doubt to a sedentary life, an uneventful existence spent under its humble carapace, it had not been able to support the dazzling splendour imposed on it, the glittering garment in which it had been clad, the pavement of precious stones wherewith they had inlaid its poor back like a jewelled pyx.” J.K. Huysmans (A Rebours, 1884)
The house of the idealist is teeming with the most unlikely of treasures. Fairies, jewelled turtles, lindworms and moon worshipping plants are but a few residents. But in these fragments contain a cognitive universe propelled by an unspoken and unheard pantheon. Guapo give voice to this realm, where the mystical philosophies of Huysmans, Kircher, Conan Doyle, Hyltén-Cavallius and many others are used as facilitators and indeed, guardians for the music conceived on “Elixirs”.
As a result, Elixirs transcends any musical antecedents that Guapo have been acknowledged for in the past. Instead, the music here explores the outer-most regions of psychedelic composition. Flickers of Popol Vuh, This Heat, Magma, Third Ear Band, Moondog and early 70’s Miles Davis are present here as over-arching themes are morphed and mined through serpentine asymmetrical structures. Chiming rounds and canons swim through a sapphirine ocean of polyrhythmic mantra. All sullenly overcast with compositions so mercurial, the paths you can take are infinite. The dense orchestration and finespun virtuosity (seamlessly captured by engineer / producer Antti Uusimaki) create a richness previously hinted at but never fully realized until now. On “Elixirs” Guapo have opened a secret vault of treasures where jewels of sulphurous green and ashen blue blossom dwell. Where springs of fire feverishly burst through a vista of golden chrysoberyls. Let the ceremony commence.
III
Guapo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aye nigga, to hell with that shit nigga
All you beta male niggas, y'all niggas fronting and shit nigga
Damn, I was only asking bruh
Still counting from 1 up until 50 bands
Paper motivated I could never stop I love them bands
Counting up from 1! Yeah I love them bands
Counting up until 50, yeah that be my bag
Paper motivated I could never stop I love them bands
Counting up from 1! Yeah I love them bands
Counting up until 50, yeah that be my bag
I got that love
I got that hate
I could never contradict, fuck it I will choose
I'm choosing that bag, big bag
I could never settle for less
I chose love, fuck you with the hating
Catch a piece, catch a stick
Your bih caught a nut or in between
Ain't no ins between, bih definitely caught a nut bruh
Pop pop! Nigga still popping up, even at your private meetings
Getting dough up in that bih
Still counting from 1 up until 50
Bands
Paper motivated I could never stop I love them bands
Counting up from 1! Yeah I love them bands
Counting up until 50, yeah that be my bag
Still counting from 1 up until 50 bands
Paper motivated I could never stop I love them bands
Counting up from 1! Yeah I love them bands
Counting up until 50, yeah that be my bag
I got that love
I got that hate
I could never contradict, fuck it I will choose
Fuck it I could never be bias up in this bih
I thought I told before what happened earlier this year aye wait
Bae you only here for my entertainment
Nevertheless, I don't know what you had up in your mind
Still stacking on bales, I could never be broke all my life hoe
Yeah ha my pockets it's litty, I love em when they hot to tell you the truth
The lyrics to Guapo's song "III" convey a sense of confidence and ambition. The opening lines, where the singer asks if someone has a girl, quickly dismiss the question and assert that those who are not driven and proactive in chasing their goals are just "beta males" pretending to be something they're not. The focus then shifts to the singer's own determination to accumulate wealth, with references to counting from 1 to 50 bands (money) and expressing a love for money. The repetition of counting from 1 to 50 reinforces the idea of consistent progress towards financial success.
The lyrics also explore the singer's mindset when it comes to love and hate. They proclaim that they will choose the pursuit of wealth over conflicting emotions, indicating a prioritization of personal success. The line "I could never settle for less" emphasizes a refusal to accept mediocrity and a desire for the finer things in life. The singer also mentions encounters with someone's partner and hints at their sexual prowess, painting a picture of a confident and assertive individual.
Overall, the lyrics of "III" reflect the artist's ambition, focus on financial success, and a disregard for anyone or anything that might hinder their pursuit of wealth and personal satisfaction.
Line by Line Meaning
Aye nigga, you got a bih?
Hey, man, do you have a girl?
Aye nigga, to hell with that shit nigga
Hey, man, forget about that nonsense
All you beta male niggas, y'all niggas fronting and shit nigga
All you weak guys, pretending to be something you're not
Damn, I was only asking bruh
Oh, sorry, I was just curious, bro
Still counting from 1 up until 50 bands
Continuously adding up money from the lowest denomination to 50
Paper motivated I could never stop I love them bands
Money inspires me, I can never get enough, I adore those stacks
Counting up from 1! Yeah I love them bands
Starting to calculate from the beginning, and yes, I adore money
Counting up until 50, yeah that be my bag
Counting up until 50, that's my thing
I got that love
I have affection
I got that hate
I also have animosity
I could never contradict, fuck it I will choose
I can't be inconsistent, screw it, I'll make a decision
Fuck it I could never be bias up in this bih
Forget it, I can't be biased in this situation
I thought I told before what happened earlier this year aye wait
I believe I already mentioned what occurred earlier this year, hey, hold on
Bae you only here for my entertainment
Baby, you're only here for my amusement
Nevertheless, I don't know what you had up in your mind
Regardless, I don't know what your intentions were
Still stacking on bales, I could never be broke all my life hoe
Continuously accumulating a large amount of money, I'll never be poor, you hoe
Yeah ha my pockets it's litty, I love em when they hot to tell you the truth
Yeah, haha, my pockets are full, I enjoy it when they're filled with cash, to be honest
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Shaun Mayela
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ali
This is a masterpiece brilliantly composed, well produced and mixed!
Kate Murphy
So great to know that musicians exist that make such sophisticated music today...
Shawn Dworkin
So much good prog, so much so muuuuuuuuch. So little time to check all bands out... no fair.. but this... this is mind blowing good band!!!!
Steve Ruotolo
psychotic , angsty, apocalyptic.. great sound! I love it <3
Uli Uchu
A vinyl release would be highly apreciated! Black Oni and Elixirs as well, pleeeeaaase
HLAVA AVALH
Black Oni came out on Vinyl in 2007 on HLAVA-Temple. Check out Discogs for a lim copy!
PrinceEnki2112
Superb blend of King Crimson and Magma conventions but with it"s very own distinctive edge.
Vladimir Perkovic
To me this album has always been the possible the soundtrack of the judgement day
Camilo Gaete
good stuff!!! hahaha there are infinite bands on earth!!
Kate Murphy
Much of this music reminds me of how much I miss seventies Crimson.