Omar_Rodriguez-Lopez-Xenophanes-2009-FNT

- Release Info -------------------------------------------------------------- -

  Artist:      Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
  Album:       Xenophanes
  Label:       Rodriguez Lopez Productions
  Playtime:    44:47 min
  Genre:       Psychedelic Rock
  URL:         http://rodriguezlopezproductions.com/
  Rip date:    2009-10-26
  Street date: 2009-00-00
  Size:        72.24 MB
  Type:        Normal
  Quality:     215 kbps / 4410kHz / Joint Stereo

- Release Notes ------------------------------------------------------------- -

   Xenophanes is the 12th solo album released by Mars Volta composer and
   frontman Omar Rodriguez-L¾pez.
   Contributors are as follows:

   * Omar Rodriguez-L¾pez - Producer, guitars, vocals
   * Juan Alderete de la Pe±a - Bass
   * Thomas Pridgen - Drums
   * Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez - Percussion, keyboards
   * Mark Aanderud - Additional keyboards
   * Ximena Sari±ana - Backing vocals

   The albums that make up Omar Rodriguez-L¾pez's solo career fall for the most
   part into two recording periods, the first being the period between the break
   up of At The Drive-In and the formation of The Mars Volta (Absence, Minor
   Cuts, etc.), the second being the Amsterdam series (Se Dice, Megaritual,
   etc.). Xenophanes was recorded in 2008 in Zapopan, Mexico, marking the start
   of a new chapter in his solo career, a fact that is easily heard in the large
   shift in sound from the Amsterdam sessions. Xenophanes sounds closer to The
   Mars Volta than it does to any of his previous solo albums.

   After the ambient intro Azoemia ends and Mundo De Ciegos kicks in, the amount
   of focus is apparent. I can't help but compare it to his older work, and it's
   like comparing a half-finished collage of magazine cutouts to a finished
   painting. Songs are structured and focused, gone are the meandering fifteen
   minute guitar and keys wank-athons. There is a greater emphasis on melody and
   less of an emphasis on how many notes are played. After listening to the
   whole thing, it actually feels like one coherent statement, something that
   can't be said for much of anything else released under Omar's many monikers.

   Another first on this album is the fact that Rodriguez-L¾pez handles vocal
   duties as well (aided by Ximena Sari±ana), and he proves to be more than
   adequate. I can't help but wonder how much of this is really his voice and
   how much is studio magic, and it's hard to tell due to the myriad of vocal
   effects employed, but the end product is satisfying. This is also the first
   studio record featuring Ximena Sari±ana and Mark Aanderud. I'm not usually a
   fan of female vocalists, but Ximena's performance is very good. Employing two
   vocalists, one male and one female, provides some great vocal harmonies. In
   the song "Asco Que Conmueve Los Puntos Er¾genos", both voices are kind of
   blended together, and while it sounds strange, the effect is very powerful.
   The lyrics are sung exclusively in Spanish, so I can't really comment on
   them. Mark Aanderud's contribution on the piano gives a jazzy/salsa edge to
   the punk-funk core of the rhythm section and acid drenched guitar leads.

   Xenophanes is produced as well as any Volta record, another factor that
   distinguishes it from the rest of Omar's solo catalog. Every instrument can
   be heard, even though there is often a lot going on. It's all layered very
   well, as opposed to sounding like it was just thrown together.

   If I had to put Xenophanes in a genre, I'd make a new one called interstellar
   punk-funk. On my first listen, I constantly thought of outer space. The
   guitar tones and the vocals provide the soaring-spacey feel even though the
   actual music is pretty dense. Thomas Pridgen and Juan Alderete work very well
   as a combo, building a core that is sometimes straight up rock, sometimes
   downright funky, and always solid.

   In the end, I am very satisfied with this record. I expected it to be another
   average Omar release, and I expected having to wade through a bunch of
   nonsense to find the gems that may or may not be hiding somewhere in the
   album. Turns out it's his first real album that has substance, a coherent and
   concise statement. If you've never heard any of Omar's solo projects before,
   there's no greater place to start.

- Track List ---------------------------------------------------------------- -

  01. Azoemia                                                           ( 2:49)
  02. Mundo de Ciegos                                                   ( 4:00)
  03. Ojo al Cristo de Plata                                            ( 7:06)
  04. Amanita Virosa                                                    ( 3:15)
  05. Sangrando Detrßs de los Ojos                                      ( 2:03)
  06. Desarraigo                                                        ( 5:54)
  07. Asco Que Conmueve los Puntos Er¾genos                             ( 4:06)
  08. Oremos                                                            ( 4:48)
  09. Perder el Arte de la Raz¾n Sin Mover in S¾lo Dedo                 ( 3:30)
  10. Flores de Ciza±a                                                  ( 3:45)
  11. MarÝa Celeste                                                     ( 3:31)

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -