AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Adopting the tone of a playful nursery rhyme, Omar spins yarns of marital infidelity, torn beds and muddy dogs, raucous children, overwhelming dread in the very sweetest light.Accusations of onanism regarding his output, that he needs an editor, frankly miss the point: when youre putting out five records a year, there should be room for experimentation, for making necessary and vital mistakes, for following curiosity and being self-indulgent.Indulgence is another accusation often levelled (like its a bad thing) at Rodrguez-Lpez, but with analysis, its hard to see the purpose of any truly expressive creative process besides indulgence of the self.
A low key self-release for pop-pastichenostalgia-indulgence Antemasque was perhaps more group therapy for Rodiguez-Lopez and Mars Volta vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala following their unsightly and regrettably public statements regarding each other as Volta dissipated. I havent got much sympathy for the manner in which that great band fell apart: years of miscommunication and unresolved tensions have been cited by various former members, but at this point it feels like exhuming a body for autopsy long past the point which anyone has a vested interest. But I will gladly put a case together for arguing that despite a career built from endurance-testing concept albums and a reputation as one of the most visceral and synchronous live groups (through various incarnations and substantive line-up differences), The Mars Volta never quite fulfilled their potential. Their debut album was perhaps rushed to release; and the recorded songs never quite achieved the same lift or gravitas that they found on the road over the subsequent months. Theyve toured for most of 2016, embedding new guitarist Keeley Davis, breaking Bixler Zavalas vocal chords and their (righteous) anti-crowd-surfing rules as they went. At The Drive-In have spent some time in the studio this year, as evidenced by various Instagram posts, but their next recorded statement seems some while off. A second Antemasque LP, Saddle On The Atom Bomb, with the year 1999s Travis Barker (member All the Small Things I member) is despite a spate of promising US concerts last year and the production of a music video (again, Instagram posts), also yet to surface. Although its hard to be critical of anyone engaging in this much creative work, collaborating with so many talented musicians, working in vastly different fields, its a frustration borne of undelivered promise that wed rather see releases and listen to actual music than engage with social media updates and cryptic promises of releases that for whatever reason, havent materialised yet. Perhaps its also a sign of contemporary anxiety and impatience that Im demanding of these artists, but if youre trying to alleviate and reign in a demanding fanbase, you dont tease them with endless cryptic updates about ghost albums. Albums scoured from HDs, recorded between 2008 and 2012, thus positioning them in between various Mars Volta albums, between the Bosnian Rainbows recording sessions and amidst the existing solo albums. Were over halfway through the Ipecac series now, and what we have before is a collection of recordings that add greatly to Rodrguez-Lpez canon, broadening his sound and taking his musicianship to unexplored places, embracing holistic themes and sonic ideas over whole records, emboldening the creative partnerships he enjoys with both Parks and Gender-Bender, and affirming Rodrguez-Lpez as one of this generations most talented and creative musicians; a talent akin to Zappa, capable of raw intimacy, sincere artistry and bold experimentation. Ill try and take you through some of these records, to varying degrees. Theyre all available to stream from orlprojects.bandcamp.com and the usual digital marketplaces with talk of a vinyl box on the horizon. Sworn Virgins is also a true collaboration with drummer and keyboardist Deantoni Parks, who is employing techniques developed through his Technoself series of albums. The record is high on staccato and pizzicato, closed-loops and the power of repetition, employing tension and release to superb effect as Rodrguez-Lpez and Parks embark on constructions of sound built from sample palettes and triggers, eclectic sonic references (including a John Lennon chop) and percussive synth-stabs. There are plenty among us who still long for those 25-minute long Cygnus Vismund Cygnus experiences, the Con Safo that would just never end, but tracks like High Water Hell are impeccably tight, precise and purposeful. The guitar solos that emerge out of raised tension toward that songs conclusion are as stunning as they are brief. The overall effect is a successful fusion of styles and a meeting of practices, Parks Technoself work and Rodrguez-Lpez brutally efficient guitar, clasped together, distorted vocals, shimmering space. Instead, songs like Certainty and Some Sort Of Justice portray tenderness not often realised in Omars work with Gender Bender providing inspired backing vocals that lift and swell, raising octaves above Omars lower register. Theres an intimacy here that you wouldnt associate with Rodrguez-Lpez, with delicate piano replacing wah solo as the records calling card. But its mid-album piece Lola that manifests as the most staggeringly unexpected, hilarious about-faces in anyones discography.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |