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Rating:
One can certainly not say that Omar Rodriguez Lopez is a scarcely prolific artist who lacks creativity... No...
We are now at dizzying and impossible rhythms for any human, "Solar Gambling" is the latest creation in the Lopez household, after "Megaritual" and "Despair" (January), "Cryptomnesia" (May), "Octahedron" with his The Mars Volta (June), "Los Sueños de un Hígado" and "Xenophanes" (September), and further confirms the compositional talent of the guitarist (although calling him just a guitarist sounds a bit reductive) from Puerto Rico, accompanied by the ethereal and delightful voice of Ximena Sarinana, who manages to weave enchanting melodies over rather complex rhythms, and by the usual clique of musicians completely out of this world.
The effect of this album can be easily gleaned from its splendid cover: fragmentation with the projection of the skull in a thousand psychedelic effects, mouth half-open in an astonished expression, one disbelieving eye fixed in the void and the other savoring closed, the auditory system decomposed into several parts gets lost in liquid and disorienting sounds, while an albino python looks at you intently and slowly tightens its coils, until it takes your breath away.
"Locomocion Capilar" envelops you with its "not quite regular" tempo, its controlled anarchy among synth, drumming, bass, and guitar that go a bit on their own, properly seasoned by a vocal line that fits perfectly despite sounding (almost) normal upon listening. This is the calling card immediately slapped in your face. The story continues with "Las Flores Con Limón", alternating liquid parts of guitar and piano with "heavy" accelerations served as an interlude. Rodriguez's art is one of disorientation, "Colmillo Castrado" fully succeeds in the attempt... The atmosphere suddenly darkens, everything slows down, the sound is that of an invisible and haunting otherworldly creature dancing in the mist in a distant undergrowth.
While the skewed funky with a Latin soul reopens the dances ("Un Buitre Amable Me Pico"), and you start to bobble your head a bit again, behold, our friend surprises once more with an angelic voice and piano ("Poincaré") that perfectly completes the psychedelic instrumental tail "Los Tentáculos De La Libélula". "Miel Del Ojo" I consider the most beautiful piece of the album for arrangement, atmosphere, and vocal harmonies, while the other two I leave to you...
For listening alone, preferably at night...
Intriguing
Tracklist
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