OMAR RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ

This album is available for free listening at Omar's Bandcamp site, and thank God.

While the players are clearly skilled, and this is certainly 'progressive', I can't imagine that I would ever listen to this again. It is completely free form. No structure, no melody; just a group of musicians all kind of doing their own thing, together.

I appreciate Omar's willingness to try new things, and often he strikes gold. I imagine that these sessions were quite a lot of fun for those involved in making them. Unfortunately this time, for me at least, it results in something that I just cannot listen to.

An electronic album from Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of THE MARS VOLTA. As with most of his solo albums, this bears little resemblance to that bands body of work. Nothing too groundbreaking is offered here. It starts interesting enough with "Home Lost" but quickly turns uninteresting to my musical taste. I have listeded to this a few times and have yet to make it all the way through in one sitting. I lsten to half and then at another time the other half. The final album cut, "Angel Hair" is also not bad but not enough to save the whole thing. 2 stars only

From 2011 comes this 7 song EP of Omar-Rodriguez-Lopez (The Mars Volta) and John Frusciante (Red Hot Chile Peppers). I got this online and played it for a day or two, but it really left little lasting effect. Lots of jamming and a dearth of anything to sink one's teeth into. If I had to pick a favorite track it would be the soft and brooding "VTA" which towards the end sounds like some MARS VOLTA-like sound effects. "0" is also kind of cool. No doubt these guys can play, but the my interest level was not piqued. Also, not really happy with the sound quality. Maybe hurried production?

From 2007, this short EP contains 5 songs with Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Lydia Lunch. Lydia is a spoken word artist of who I know little about. My experience with this from of music is limited pretty much to Laurie Anderson. This is NOT like that at all. This is some weird stuff but gets boring and repetitive quickly. The spoken voice is okay but not fantastic. Omar's music is, naturally, finely done and tends to be eclectic and experimental. Good if you are in the right mood but I am not sure I will ever be in the mood to listen to this again. Creative and "interesting". Challenging.

Take a guy from The Mars Volta, and one from Can, and this is pretty much what you would expect to get. From 2007, PLEASE HEAT THIS EVENTUALLY is a short 24 minute EP or long-single. The "noodling" gets on my nerves. This could be called "avant-garde" or "experimental" but it is often just not interesting and sometimes repititive. The vocal by Damo Suzuki add little to the overall sound and I just don't care for them much. Maybe I would enjoy the instrumental version of these 2 pieces better. I really like TMV but Omar's works have never impressed me in the same way. Collectors/fans only.

Wow! Combining high-powered, psychedelic rock and R & B like I've never heard it, Omar Rodriquez-Lopez--of THE MARS VOLTA fame--has created a monster of an album. Almost completely instrumental and, except for the guitar work and modern recording techniques, very reminiscent of lots of music and artists from the jazz fusion and electronic prog experimentalists fromt he 1970s.

1. "Melting Chariots" (3:51) starts off like something from a P-Funk album or TALKING HEADS' Remain in Light. The unusual staccato guitar solo is a quite inconsistent with the rest of the song's feel and sound. (8/10)

2. "Knee Deep in the Loving Hush of Heresy" (6:02) begins with ORNETTE COLEMAN-like free-for-all cacophony. The just as suddenly the music settles into a groove--an almost tongue-in-cheek 'sexy space' walk. The song flows intermmittently in and out of the opening cacophony, as well as into some stark bluesy sections. This sounds a lot like some of TODD RUNDGREN's wild sound/listener experiments from the 70s. The 'sexy space walk' jam is the overall dominant thread that keeps the song moving forward but there are many 'pauses' and 'interludes' into guitar and synthesizer 'tangents.' The song ends with a minute of straightforward heavy metal rock n roll. Interesting sonic and technical experimentation. (8/10)

3. "Jacob Van Lennepkade II" (18:25) is a wonderful multi-track (midi?) jam set over a very engaging, danceable groove laid down by the rhythm section. The occasional 'chorus' section is lead by saxophone melody--all the while the rhythm section keeps on groovin' away on the same pace, same riffs, same chords. The first five minutes are dominated by guitar(s) solo; second five by keyboard(s), third five by saxophone; and the final by guitars again. Awesome performances throughout. Great jam. (10/10)

4. "Fuerza de Liberacion" (5:33) begins with some odd synthesizer and vocal percussion 'noises.' At the one minute mark most of this fades away to be replaced by a kind of steady 'Carribbean' beat over which a heavily muted/treated male voice talks for over two minutes. Giving way to a multi-track guitar solo, beneath which the drummer--and then the keyboardist and saxophone player--has some real fun. The song's basic bass and keyboard structure remains steady and constant throughout. (8/10)

5. "Sparked From the Insult List" (6:08) is pure Latin groove rock--SANTANA at his jammin' best. Again, multi-track guitar (by which I mean that one guitar is being played but that it's sound is being channelled through two or more effects boxes and then into multiple recording tracks, giving it the feel that multiple instruments are being played). The presence of Rhodes-like keyboard and flute give this a very 1970s feel. Awesome feel and sound--one I can never get enough of. (10/10)

6. "Baby Fat" (2:47) has a very jazzy, KING CRIMSON feel to it--even down to the discordant free jam the song devolves into. (8/10)

7. "The Apocalypse Inside of An Orange" (11:14) is a true adventure in Psychedelic/Space Rock--even down to the "Indian" feel of the 'sitar' and bass sounds--a musical expression of pre-Big Bang (or post-apocalyptic) cosmic soup. It's actually quite entertaining and even engaging. (Again I am reminded of some of TODD RUNDGREN's work from the 70s--this time almost exactly like the middle 30 minutes of his 36 minute epic, "Treatise on Cosmic Fire"on Initiation). I quite like it! (9/10)

8. "Coma Pony" (6:36) is another throwback song, starting with a very cool, laid back jazz fusion (almost trip hoppy) groove set down by bass, drums, and very 60s/70s keyboard sound and style--over which the guitar again does his multi-track jamming. The ERIC GALE- like jazz guitar, BOB JAMES-like keyboard playing, TOM SCOTT/GROVER WASHINGTON- like sax play, and catchy melodies make this a very enjoyable and comfortable song--like a stroll through memory lane. (10/10)

Truly an exceptional album of adventurous music. Close to being a masterpiece; definitely 4.5 stars.

A free and exclusive sonorous adventure (9/10)

Do you remember The Marts Volta, "Frances the mute" era, with experimental and bizarre passages? If you miss it, you will enjoy this album.

The first time I listen it the amazing and masterpiece of Ornette Coleman "Free Jazz" I think -Oh, **** what's this! But now for me and the world wide critical, is one of the best album of jazz music, and one of the first free jazz style.

Why do I say this? It's simple, this free rock album you can listen to streaming via Web of Omar Rodriguez "bandcamp" and I do not know if it will go down in rock history as a masterpiece, but I do know that the author has the audacity to reunite his band, recording and mastering this work.

A work that, perhaps, would reject any producer for their exceptional courage and wonderful creative madness.

I would give it a second chance!

The second part of Omar Rodriguez Lopez 2012 electronic music trilogy starts off being much more promising that the first album, 'Un Corazon de Nadie'. Indeed, it feels much more entertaining than 'Un Corazon de Nadie' and 'Octopus Kool Aid', but it's still a very strange minialist recording.

Some interesting (yet strange and simple) keyboard work (alongside with nice little shifts and changes) is found on 'Gentle Umbrellas'. 'Spllbound' has a very dancey drums, it's rather a dance music track than any of experimental rock, whilst 'Fear Eats The Soul' and 'Decided?' start like acoustic ballads with lots of electronic distortion. 'Angel Hair' is another ballad song here, and it sounds like it was recorded on a bad dictophone, then more electronic tratments are coming. A highlight here, probably the best track on whole triogy.

But anyway, even if it's a more succesful work than other parts of this trilogy, in general it's still an album you can simply skip and avoid, if you're not Omar Rodriguez Lopez fan. The whole trilogy might be original and experimental, but definitely is not any enjoyable and underworked.

4/10

The album 'Un Corazón De Nadie' (Spainsh for 'A Heart of No-One') by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez was initially recorded in November 2010, but it was issued only in 2012, so it took a long time to released it.

Actually this album is the first part of electronic music trilogy released by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez in 2012. Omar played all instruments here, and sleeve artwork was created by his mother, who has died in March 2012.

The whole record is indeed very electronic-sounding, and very minimalistic in its extent. There's nothing really interesting to listen to, so you can simply skip it. Track called 'Hez' has some enjoyable keyboard work (reminds ne of Radiohead a little bit), and it's the only highlight here. If you're not a die-hard fan of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, there's really no use of wasting your time on it, so you can live a full life and not lose anything at all without listening to this record.

3,5/10

A very strange electronic music album with vocals sometimes (thankfully not always!) reminiscent to David Lynch's 'Crazy Clown Time', 'Octopus Live Aid', the twenty-fourth solo album by extremelly prolific solo artist and The Mars Volta mastermind Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, seems to be a compilation of dance rhythms, minimalist synthesised sounds & loops built together in a surreal sound sequence.

Not really a fascinating journey, this album is very monotonous and intended only for hardcore Omar Rodriguez-Lopez fans only.

There's really nothing more to say about this LP; the only somewhat interesting track here is 'Worlds Get In The Way', but it really have a little difference from everything else on this record.

Overall rating: 4/10. Not recommended to start listening to Omar Rodriguez-Lopez from this album, he has much more interesting records in his vast discography.