Gaupa – Myriad
Release Date: 28th October 2022
Label: Nuclear Blast
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner, Psychedelic, Folk, Doom.
FFO: Queens Of The Stone Age, Alunah, The Sugarcubes.
Review By: Paul Franklin
Ok, straight off the bat, your appreciation for this new release from Swedish band Gaupa (which translates as Lynx) will very much depend upon your BTL, or Björk Tolerance Level.
There is hardly any description of this band that doesn’t point out the remarkable similarity between singer Emma Naslund and the Sugarcubes frontwoman. Phrases such as ‘Björk fronting Soundgarden’, or ‘Björk sings with Deftones’ are common, although these are slightly reductive as the music the band produce is far more varied than can be lazily attributed to one specific band. However, there is no denying that as soon as Emma opens her mouth on Exoskeleton, your thoughts instantly turn to the eccentric Icelandic pop icon.
And this brings us back to the BTL.
A high BTL (where you consider her to be a unique musical voice, stretching and pushing the boundaries of her vocal performance) and you will find much to enjoy in Myriad’s eight tracks, where Emma’s equally quirky vocal gymnastics dance over, under and in-between the rich stoner, psychedelic, doomy soundscapes created by her fellow bandmates. A low BTL (where you consider her ‘quirky’ vocal stylings as irritating as a coarse jumper on severe sunburn) and you may struggle.
As mentioned, musically, there is a lot going on here. There are the muddy, stoner riffs of the likes of Exoskeleton and Diametrical Enchantress (which also has a hint of Nirvana’s Heart Shaped Box about it). Then Moloken eases back with a more bluesy feel before building to an energetic climax. The lush slow build approach is also one taken by Elden, whereas Sömnen is a haunting acoustic folk number sung entirely in the band’s native tongue. I don’t know if My Sister Is A Very Angry Man is meant as a compliment or an insult, but the song itself is a barnstorming Seventies blues-rocker.
In conclusion, a release that shows how to successfully mix stoner, doom, prog and folk elements into a diverse, musically accomplished album. It just depends on that BTL.
(3 / 5)
