This is the 6th album for the mighty Guapo and their first for Ipecac (home of Melvins, Fantomas, Tomahawk, Ruins, etc.). It progresses onwards from where their previous album 'Five Suns' (on Cuneiform Records) arrived at. Like 'Five Suns', 'Black Oni' is based upon a series of lateral, wordless, compositions comprising of five tracks identified by Roman numerals. For 'Black Oni' the line up consists of Daniel O’ Sullivan on Keyboards etc., Guitar and Electronics; Dave Smith on Drums, and Matt Thompson on Bass, Guitar and Electronics (who has now left the band- his place being filled by David Ledden).

Guapo mostly take their cues from the kind of Prog Rock groups such as the Krautrock bands, and Magma, and King Crimson; as opposed to the Prog of Supergroup “hallowed luminaries”, such as Genesis, Yes, and the of ELP (who would tour with three huge lorries, which were branded with each member’s name on the roof- one for each member’s equipment). However Guapo are nowhere near that extravagant, (nor that big!), and instead 'Black Oni' offers us a contemplative portrait of their musical vision to accept or not, rather than forcing upon us a pretentious display of the musician as a God.

Since music ultimately alters your mind without prior consent, and affects it in innumerable ways by taking it down certain unforeseen paths, Guapo, it seems, attempt to take you, with this understanding in mind, upon an explorative journey far away. It takes a couple of minutes for the album to lift off and then they march into action. It is like discovering a far-away land, made up of beautiful vistas, where the dual forces of darkness/light and confusion/clarity are vying for supremacy. These battles are countered by intermittent snatches here and there (and sometimes protracted stretches) of sweet, soothing chimes and jingling- like the gentle strumming guitars on ‘III’, before a heartily dancing bass kicks in propelling the song forward, followed later on by a stabbing synth riff. 'Black Oni' often flips between periods of doom-like thunder storms, harmonic incantations, reverberating drones; and periods of driving riffs along with infectious synth noodlings, with the drums crashing about maniacally. There is so much happening within this album, and as a phenomenal array of different sounds are used- it is the kind of album that sounds different every time you hear it, as you pick up subtleties you didn’t previously know existed.

Mike Patton (of Fantomas et al, and Ipecac co-founder), sums up the album nicely when he writes that it is: “an enchanting journey- like a roller coaster ride in the dark, every sound and odour a delight to the senses. A haunting orgiastic ritual with a magnetism you won’t soon forget. The listener does not stand a chance.” Indeed the listener’s best bet is to submit to their mesmerising force and let 'Black Oni’s crashing wave wash over you.

Personally, 'Black Oni' is almost, but not quite up to the same standard as 'Five Suns'- an album I reckon to be of epic proportions, (definitely one of my top ten greatest album’s ever), but with that accolade it would be very hard indeed for them to rise above their previous masterpiece. However 'Black Oni' is another fine album to lose yourself in. I have heard that it is the second part of a trilogy, if so then I eagerly await the concluding part. Guapo are excellent live as well, so if they sound interesting to you, and are playing in your area, then I totally recommend going to see them.

'Artists Cannibals Poets Thieves' is Six by Seven's sixth album in their nine year history. It's also their third this year (ok, so one of the three was a compilation of unreleased material from previous album 'The Way I Feel Today', but it's still pretty impressive). Such a profilific output normally, particularly when self-released as is the case here, implies a lack of quality control, with every song being recorded bunged on a cd and unleashed on an unsuspecting public before anyone's had the chance to say "'scuse us guys, but are you sure that 9 minute track composed solely of ear grating feedback is entirely necessary". Fortunately with this album Six by Seven have side-stepped any such problems with nine strong tracks making up their best album since 2000's 'The Closer You Get'.

The band count this as their first release as a 'proper' three piece, with previous effort '.04' having featured overdubbed bass guitar, and casting off the four string seems to have done them a world of good, stripping the songs back to the hypnotic, building sound that made their earlier records so great, where more recent efforts had inclined towards over-egging the sound and obscuring the groove.

So 'All I Really Want From You Is Love' is classic Six by Seven, a silken keyboard drone wafting over Chris Olley's vocals, while guitars and drums crash into glorious crescendos in the background. But this record isn't just about recapturing past glories, 'Nowhere to Go but Home' features a clipped guitar line that injects a bit of New Order style new wave funk to proceedings, 'Stara Paris Rescued Me' and the claustrophobic keys of 'You Know I Feel Alright Now' take the album to darker corners than ever before, while 'Let's Throw Some Mud At the Wall' sees Chris Olley doing a rather fine impersonation of Mark E.Smith.

Before this album, I had begun to worry that Six by Seven as I had once known and loved them were all but gone - this album offers more than a glimmer of hope that their best may in fact be yet to come.

Review by Paul Madden
www.sixbyseven.co.uk
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This sounds like Riton. What the £$%& is Riton? Riton is a band/man/maniac who created an album a few years ago that is in reality is shit but because we live in a society obsessed with deviating from the norm it quickly became critically acclaimed. If you like something that is popular you are an unoriginal wanker, if you like something that was imported from a Russian after 4 refugees recorded themsleves hitting eat other across the face with turnips then you are cool (until someone else likes it).

Oh poor Minotaur Shock I didn't mean to drag you into this. Who knows I might actually like this album? I am just frustrated your album will probably be loved because it is so weird. I love Riton. But I love Riton becuase it is so shit. Sometimes it gets put on, the giggles start and you thank them for a wonderful time. But musical merit? Ok now the rant is over let's look at Minotaur Shock. For a start great name. This music is bizarre, I can't really describe it so am going to have to come up with a formula. Ok maybe a maritime theme. I will listen to each track and state the type of fish it makes me think of.

Ok first song 'Muesli' sounds like a Zander. A hybrid, spikey, jangly and slithery. 'Six Foolish Fishermen' is great, too great to be a fish in fact, I think. Sythny sweet. I can't do it. I don't understand this and I am not sure I want to. I have writer's block. There are two possible reasons for this a) it is too shit to describe or b) it is too ground breaking to describe. 'The Broads' and 'Four Magpies' are fantastic like whales. Whales are not fish they are mammals. I am confused. They glide over you coverin you in gliss. What the f**k is gliss? There is a deadline on this thing! I wish I had all year to write this because this challenging album deserves it. I will listen again, ask me in a year what I think.

In conclusion? It is awful. Awfully good. If good is shit. But if shit had a good market price. See the mind is divided, civil war will follow. I will be found in 2 weeks head in hands underneath the stairs shaking and it will all be Minotaur Shocks fault, maybe that's misson accomplished?

Review by Jamie Boyer
www.4ad.com/features/minotaurshock
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Everyone from NME to Crack Magazine have been praising this album. I don’t know why. 'Axes' is a war of attrition. The tracks run like a scratched Moby cd and can only be referred to as tracks for some of them certainly do not qualify as songs. ‘Come Back’ is a seven second guitar screech and ‘Those Pockets Are People’ is just a prolonged stagnation of noises obviously designed to make the listener throw up, after three slices of manor house cake it almost succeeds.

On the other hand there is beauty in Electrelane’s plight, ‘The Partisan’ is a fantastic pop song and ‘Bells’ has its moments though, both, in the end succumb to their neighbours fate, drowning in a bath of boredom.

Electrelane make music devoid of any emotion, dance and pop combined in a quit hopeless marriage. There is no immediacy to the music; some of the tracks go on for days playing the same notes over and over like a keyboard demo. There is merit somewhere in 'Axes' but sadly it is plastered over with repetitive ridiculousness.

Review by Kolley Kibber
www.electrelane.com
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You have to admire the Florida based R. Sell’s The Atlantic Manor, in the album sleeve they claim to have recorded Special is Dead's nine tracks "very quickly with no rehearsals." Unfortunately for The Atlantic Manor, it's not the impromptu recording of the album that lets them down. It's diagnosis death by mid tempo. Time of death: somewhere between tracks 2 and 3. This album doesn't instantly wear you down, for a while the sombre song-craft sells itself almost charmingly. Before long however, the album itself seems to cry out for that some resurrection, for it’s own sake. It doesn’t come, which you suspect Sell is quite deliberate about. The lyrics have moments verging on gorgeousness, closely followed by clichéd dirge. If you don’t mind putting a bit of effort into Special is Dead, you might just get something out of it. Sell seems to deserve to record something profound and relevant. Sadly, until he books at least one or two rehearsals or leaves his house to record with a producer with an objective ear, it’s low-fi mediocrity for the foreseeable future.

Review by Mary Young
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Apparently this shit is popular. Body Rockers are two pretty boys that have realised if you sound a bit like the scissor sister or some other bullshit indie electro crossover then you can sell records. The fact that the music is so inoffensive is what offends me the most. Its predictable shite. Each tracks sounds like a rework of the one before with the same bland Americanised vocals over the top of slightly fuzzy electro disco tracks that the main stream indie fans eat right up. There’s far too much good music out there right now for this to be taking up anymore of my time.

Review by Barry Bennett
www.bodyrockers.co.uk
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