Just in...Omar Rodriguez-Lopez: Cizaña De Los Amores

    We have ourselves yet another ORL release, and this the second release of October, the first being an album called Tychozorente! Well, maybe with a little less enthusiasm this time...for both releases. Recently, I've been fairly disappointed in OMR's creative impulses, for a few reasons. One, everything lately has been in Spanish. Well I didn't mind that so much for Ciencia de los Inutiles, which is a gorgeous acoustic album released back in February, it has just started getting a little old not being able to discern any of the lyrics. Second, the last few releases were just not the same enjoyable vein as those of Solar Gambling, Xenophanes and Cryptomnesia. Sepulcros De Miel, which I've blogged previously about here, was purely experimental free-rock; Tychozorente was very experimental electronic music; and Cizaña De Los Amores, though it does show more promise as a poor replica of the better former albums is, well for lack of better description, droopy (By the way, all the links, if you haven't noticed yet, are to omardigital where you can listen to each album, respectively, in its entirety for free).
   So, what is Cizaña De Los Amores like? I call it droopy, will explain that now and then try and leave it. Upon listening a few times through I just find each track lacking some sort of spark, it is hard to pinpoint, and the vocals by Ximena Sariñana Rivera--which were so great in Solar Gambling, Xenophanes and Ciencia de los Inutiles--have grown slightly monotonous; they lack the energy that the music wants desperately to emit. I guess the simple explanation of this is that the voice is always low and in her chest voice, while in my opinion needs to be high and screaming to an extent; consequently, it comes out flat by not adding to the electricity of the music. Lisa Papineau also does vocals on the first and seventh track "Nada De Amor", but it is hard to distinguish the difference between both singers if you didn't know better and my complaint remains the same.
    The first track, "Soledad Y Silencio" is, actually, Halloweenish; meaning, it sounds sort of like this creepy background music to a haunted house, with an eerie quality to it produced by the dreamy pulsating synthesizer chords and octave motives in the lo-fi piano. It does in one aspect remind me of, with merely a faint glimmer, of the last track from The Mars Volta 2006 album Amputechture, "El Ciervo Vulnerado" at about 7:55 into the song--at least it kept invoking that comparative image in my mind. There are definitely some nice moments in the next track "No Hay Más Respuestas", about half way through it has that brilliant ORL progressive style going from one lick to the next. I like the intro to the third track "Victamas Del Cielo" and even the down-tempo-ness of it, but in relation to the whole album being slightly so, it loses its impact. It even, if I may suggest, has a slight reggae beat, especially with the rock organ which receives a lengthy solo (I have noticed a trend towards ORL groups becoming more jam-bandish). The ending is sweet too.
    The fourth track, "Corazón" is the droopiest. It has this just under pitch kind of feeling, with a guitar riff throughout that is too repetitive and other moments with guitar chords or melodies that are falling (or failing if you will) pitched sequences. This song continues into the next "De Piedra", where it improves little, except when it eventually fades out. "Infiel Hasta La Muerte" just lacks energy. It has these what would have been cool angular chords, reminiscent of The Mars Volta 2003 album De-Loused in the Crematorium, but they are fragile. The ending portion of the track picks up a bit and if most of the album was this way, I'd have been more satisfied.
    Track seven, "Nada de Amor" imitates the track "Poincaré" from Solar Gambling, with the same piano, but not as clear and fresh sounding. It is hazy and back to the etherealness of track one, while building to the end. The final track, "Carne De Perro" has a clear latino influence, bongo drums and shakers included; and is a big guitar solo that lacks organization and finesse, trying to be somewhat of an 80s face melter I suppose.
    I've uploaded the track, "No Hay Más Respuestas", as I feel it's the best representation of the quality of work ORL can produce and has done so in the past. And don't get me wrong, I do think the whole album is worth a listen and then some, so please do explore!