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Rating: It can't be said that Omar Rodriguez lacks the desire to take risks. Leaving the (almost) achieved mass success of At The Drive-In to embark on the progressive adventure of Mars Volta, and subsequently radicalizing its musical proposal even further (which you may or may not like, I, for one, like it a lot...) until it became almost indigestible, is not a feat within everyone's reach. Only a person with a high level of madness and a good dose of recklessness mixed with visceral love for music (but ultimately, isn't love for music itself a form of recklessness?) can be so drastic and take such steps.
But with this 2004 album, Omar Rodriguez surpasses himself, reaching with this "A Manual Dexterity Soundtrack - Vol. 1" almost a step away from self-harm. Specifically, this is the soundtrack of the film for which he is the author and director, and the term self-harm is not meant negatively (on the contrary...), since this album once again aims to amaze the listener by causing a sort of emotional shock, but the challenge is taken to such a high level that it almost makes him flee, given the amount of anarchy and lack of control present in the work.
Nothing new, but done with great style, class, personality, and disdain for easy and preconceived solutions, so much so that while listening, you feel a sense of uncertainty and instability and end up wondering where the author will end up going since this work is so unconventional. There is no solution of continuity, insane psychedelia, effected and reverberated sounds, pieces made of guitar overdubs that start very placidly like "Here The Tame Go By" only to end in delirium, controlled chaos, and transform into a sort of psychedelic-salsa (!) titled "Deus Ex Machina", recorded by Omar with his father (!!). As you proceed with listening, you're really afraid to go on, and it's almost like being traversed by an acid flow that deforms the perception of space and time. You are at least uneasy, but if you manage to overcome this uneasiness, you realize how great and complex this work is, how much passion there is inside. Omar believes in it, does whatever he wants, and is accountable to no one but himself. "Dramatic Theme", five minutes of guitar effects and then the piece explodes, only to implode in a guitar frenzy accompanied by rhythm constituted by the ticking of an old analog typewriter ("A Dressing Failure"). "Of Blood Blue Blisters", almost ambient, occasionally ruptured by trumpet, guitar, and drum roars, disturbing the peace, until they prevail. The only note of (almost) normality is the last track "The Palpitations Form A Limit", which almost seems like an outtake of Mars Volta (singer included).
In conclusion, an album to listen to, even to understand what lies behind the sound universe sketched by the minds of Mars Volta.
Do not be afraid.
Tracklist
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