Guapo/Cerberus Shoal - The Ducks & Drakes of Guapo & Cerberus Shoal
(North East Indie)
This Cerberus Shoal split CD series on North East Indie has, surprisingly, turned out to be really good and interesting. While I haven't particularly enjoyed any of the Cerberus Shoal contributions, the artists they have chosen to work with in the past, such as The Magic Carpathians, Herman Dune, and Alvarius B, have all been pretty engaging. Even the collaborations turn out well. This new split release with Guapo is no different.
"A Man Who Loved Holes," the Cerberus Shoal track, mixes a wall of intriguing clicks, clacks, and background sounds with endless, spooky jibber jab from someone's voice disguised to sound like a Cylon Centurion. While the sounds they create are quite interesting on their own, when added to the spewing Cylon, all focus shifts to his voice, making every moment of the 16+ minute song seem even longer.
"Idios Kosmos" is the first recording I have heard from the UK's Guapo, and I'm impressed. The sound they create here is kind of difficult to explain, but they sound like the tune-up of a symphony (that moment where everyone all plays the single note "A" together). They take this organic mass of sound, which I have no idea how they create, and extend it, slowly changing the tone, tempo, and intensity, making it fluctuate constantly between building, falling, and expanding. The end result is amorphous, dense, and magnificent.
"Kdios Iiosmos, He Two Loved Holes," the collaboration between the bands, sounds almost as if they overlaid the band's respective tracks, luckily cutting out the annoying robot vocals. The mix of their two sounds works perfectly to add a new depth to Guapo's already fascinating sound, and finishes the split album beautifully.
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