Recorded between shows on The Mars Volta's recent European tour, Omar Rodriguez' second solo outing is a different beast from his previous release on his GSL label, 2004's A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume 1. Recorded with a band partially recruited from Mars Volta personnel and other musicians, present to bolster the instrument count, the record serves not just as a side-project for a bored guitarist between concerts, but a genuinely engaging piece of work.
Made up of five tracks cryptically titled in Dutch, Omar Rodriguez, unlike Omar's previous solo release, features no vocal contributions throughout the record. Also noticeable is the lessened importance of the guitar. While Rodriguez' ubiquitous free-jazz styled frenetics are still present, they occasionally take a backseat to seemingly improvised horn sections and occasional piano and synth moments. A major criticism of Omar's work in The Mars Volta is based on his own importance in the mix, and his somewhat domineering role in songwriting, so it is nice to see him sporadically stand down to allow other members to shine.
Similarly to A Manual Dexterity, the record begins with an exercise in free jazz drumming, courtesy of Eric Salas, but also notably aided in percussive terms by Omar's brother Marcel, and longtime collaborator Cedric Bixler-Zavala. Bass duties on this record are handled by The Mars Volta's Juan Alderete de la Pena, instead of Omar himself recording bass as on his last solo outing.
Anyone familiar with Rodriguez' recent work will no doubt recognize his style all over this album. Despite the shift in genre, there remain many similarities with The Mars Volta's work, particularly in the repeated riffery of tracks 2 and 3, Regenbogen Stelen Van Prostituees and Jacob Van Lennepkade. While a consistent bassline is repeated, variations on a horn theme or guitar line are scratched out on top as the tracks evolve into all-out jams. Intermittently, the tracks are disturbed by an off-kilter guitar solo or experimental key shift by the lead guitar, but Marcel Rodriguez Lopez' keys come to the rescue in most cases to restore the songs to some kind of formal structure again. Jacobââ¬Â¦, however, ends in chaos with a clashing guitar line battling (and defeating) the main theme.
The half-hour long dynamics of tracks two and three gradually make way for the mystic and atmospheric sounds of Vondelpark Bij Nacht, an Indian-sounding track with sitars and low horn rumblings. The song has potential, but ultimately goes nowhere and begins to bore the listener before heading into more familiar territory with Spookrijden Op Het Fietspad, a funky, almost disco beat track with the familiar bass pumping of the Mars Volta and tight guitar lines.
Omar Rodriguez is both a record and an artist keen on exploring the unknown and simply making music for pleasure. Whether you're a Mars Volta fan keen on hearing the solo work of its members, or just interested in checking out some jazz influenced experimental work with a hefty Latin influence, you should check these jams out.
