Come descrivere i The Mars Volta a chi non li ha mai sentiti? Impresa difficile dal momento che anch’io, prima di acquistare questo cd, ero completamente ignorante in materia. Li avevo visti giusto un paio di volte in tv: la prima su Rock TV grazie al videoclip di The Widow (dal disco “Frances The Mute” del 2005) e la seconda al David Letterman Show, dove hanno eseguito Wax Simulacra, brano grazie al quale lo scorso febbraio hanno vinto un Grammy per la “Best Hard Rock Performance”. Poi, una mattina d’estate, mi sono alzato dal letto, ho acceso la tv e mi sono imbattuto nel videoclip di Cotopaxi: un video curioso e piuttosto straniante per un brano estremamente energico e indiavolato. Mi sono detto: «Non ci sono santi che tengono, devo avere quel disco». Il giorno dopo, quel disco era mio. (Sì, lo so, potevo recensirlo anche prima, ormai siamo a fine novembre; ma converrete con me che l’album si addice molto di più a questa stagione.)

“Octahedron” è uscito lo scorso 22 giugno per Warner Bros, con una sgargiante e tropicale cover art del pittore surrealista Jeff Jordan, che collabora con la formazione già da qualche anno. Si tratta del quinto lavoro in studio per questa progressive rock band attiva dal 2001 e molto apprezzata dalla critica per la sua originalità (lo scorso anno Rolling Stone l’ha investita del titolo di “Best Prog-Rock Band”). I frequenti cambi di line-up non hanno mai intaccato la vorticosa creatività della formazione di El Paso, che ruota saldamente attorno al vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, artefice di testi molto curati e talvolta ermetici, e all’indomito chitarrista Omar Rodríguez-López, autore di tutte le musiche nonché produttore dell’album. Il suo insolito metodo di condurre le registrazioni, mutuato a quanto pare da Miles Davis, è quello di far incidere a ogni strumentista la propria parte a metronomo, senza conoscere né poter ascoltare quelle degli altri. «Ora, però, dovrò escogitare qualcosa di nuovo», ha spiegato Omar in una intervista a The Village Voice, «perché i musicisti si stanno abituando alla cosa, e sono diventati tutti troppo bravi».

Tra i musicisti coinvolti nel disco compare anche il nome di John Frusciante dei Red Hot Chili Peppers, che in realtà – come scopro non senza stupore – collabora con la band in modo continuativo già dai tempi del debut album “De-Loused in the Comatorium”. (Specularmente, Rodríguez-López è ormai un ospite fisso dei dischi solisti di Frusciante, e mi risulta che abbia fatto anche una comparsa su “Stadium Arcadium” dei RHCP. Ma non giudicatelo per questo, vi assicuro che non se lo merita.)

Torniamo ora al disco, che è caratterizzato da una profonda ricerca sonora e risulta essere molto più calmo e trattenuto delle precedenti release. Gli interessati hanno definito il loro quinto lavoro in studio come un album «acustico», «morbido», addirittura «pop»; indicazioni che però non vanno prese alla lettera, poiché cercano soltanto di suggerire un songwriting più emotivo, tranquillo, rilassato. Del resto, i brani sono stati scritti simultaneamente alla produzione dell’ultimo “The Bedlam in Goliath” e quindi tendo a pensare che sia più una parentesi voluta che non una caduta di stile, come ha insinuato qualche critico. Comunque sia il risultato è pienamente convincente e, dopo ripetuti ascolti, il disco sembra non stancarmi mai. Gli otto brani che compongono il lavoro sono intensi, vibranti avvolgenti: non a caso il disco si chiama “Octahedron”, titolo tridimensionale che rende piena giustizia alla profondità del songwriting di questa originalissima band.

L’incipit è graduale e soffuso. C’è un tappeto di synth che emerge con infinita lentezza dal silenzio iniziale (lo stesso che, in modo mai troppo intrusivo, lega ciascuna canzone del disco alla successiva) e solo dopo un centinaio di secondi ha inizio la delicata e sognante Since We’ve Been Wrong, che a tratti riempie il cuore di lucida malinconia. Poi è la volta della più movimentata Teflon, dove il cantato si fa più acuto, gli effetti slide della chitarra sono molto curati e la sezione ritmica reinterpreta un normalissimo 4/4 scandendo accenti di non immediata lettura. Seguono Halo of Nembutals, un brano sofferto dal ritornello indimenticabile, e With Twilight As My Guide, affascinante ballata acustica tra il fiabesco e lo spirituale, che ci ho messo un po’ di tempo ad apprezzare ma che ora mi sembra semplicemente fantastica. Notevole il falsetto di Bixler-Zavala, che qualcuno potrebbe realmente scambiare per una voce femminile.

A rompere l’atmosfera sognante lanciandoci nel bel mezzo di un cataclisma sonoro è la già citata Cotopaxi, indubbiamente uno degli highlights di questo lavoro e in definitiva una delle canzoni più belle che abbia sentito quest’anno. Definirla vulcanica sarebbe poco originale – considerando che il brano prende il nome proprio da un vulcano dell’Ecuador – ma sicuramente calzante. Tempi dispari, energia a fiumi, un cantato pazzoide e una struttura fluida e magmatica – ehm, scusatemi – che si dipana per tre minuti e mezzo di notevole densità. Mi piacerebbe tanto spiegarvi di cosa parla, ma ho gettato la spugna al verso che dice «When Sanskrit was my mother tongue scarabs filled my pillow»… che è poi la frase iniziale! Il fatto che in Europa questo brano sia stato scelto come singolo di lancio è in realtà fuorviante perché, pur essendo rappresentativo dello stile della band, lo è molto di meno del tono generale di questo disco. Ma se l’obiettivo era quello di convincere gli insicuri, come nel caso del sottoscritto, be’… missione compiuta!

Si passa poi a Desperate Graves, dal prezioso arpeggio introduttivo, che ha però la sfortuna di passare inosservata, incastonata com’è tra i due brani più godibili dell’album. La successiva Copernicus è infatti una delle gemme del disco, una sorprendente ninna-nanna acustica, un po’ psichedelica e addirittura con qualche vaghissimo accenno elettronico che, dopo lo sbigottimento iniziale, appare comunque appropriato. Questo non è un brano, è un’esperienza: e vi consiglio di viverla restando al buio nella vostra stanza mentre fuori piove. Ogni volta che il ritornello si chiude con le parole «Left dangling in the wind», un brivido mi corre lungo la schiena, e il soffuso finale, dopo qualche ispirato passaggio di pianoforte, porta alla mente Disposition dei Tool e Moonchild dei King Crimson, la qual cosa non può essere in alcun caso un male. Chiude il conto l’inquieta ed energica Luciforms, il brano più lungo del disco (oltre che l’unico con un assolo di chitarra) anche se non lo dimostra, che conclude in stato di grazia questi cinquanta minuti di musica che, personalmente, mi hanno invogliato a ripercorrere anche i precedenti capitoli della loro discografia. E a sentirli dal vivo. Non mi risultano purtroppo notizie di imminenti esibizioni in suolo italico, essendo i nostri già passati all’Idroscalo di Milano il 26 giugno (proprio così, caro Riky, insieme ai perduti Faith No More!). Dicono che dal vivo facciano delle jam pazzesche e che il vocalist sul palco sia davvero indemoniato, quindi, se vi giunge voce… avvertitemi immediatamente!

Dopo averne ripetutamente parlato con un tono a dir poco entusiastico, è evidente che la mia proposta del giorno non poteva che ricadere su Cotopaxi. Vi consiglio vivamente di ascoltarla; è breve e concisa, e l’unica controindicazione è che il cantato potrebbe farvi venire un po’ di mal di testa. In alternativa, vi consiglio di andare sul sito ufficiale dei The Mars Volta, entrare nella sezione Video e ascoltarvi la molto più quieta Since We’ve Been Wrong. Non rimarrete delusi!

The Mars Volta, “Octahedron” (2009, Warner Bros)

1 )  Since We’ve Been Wrong  –  2 )  Teflon  –  3 )  Halo of Nembutals  –  4 )  With Twilight As My Guide  –  5 )  Cotopaxi  –  6 )  Desperate Graves  –  7 )  Copernicus  –  8 )  Luciforms

I’m pretty excited about my new music blog, so let’s keep the ball rolling. Post número tres!

The Mars Volta’s Omar Rodriguez-López released his first Spanish-only solo album, Xenophanes, earlier this month. I think it’s cool enough for a late shout out.

The entire album can be found on YouTube. Here’s the first single.

Omar Rodriguez-López – Mundo De Ciegos

Musical pioneers like Omar Rodriguez-Lopez deserve a lot of credit for pushing the envelope in a genre that’s generally overlooked in the mainstream consciousness. As the guitarist for bands “At the Drive In” and “The Mars Volta”, Omar produces groundbreaking musical landscapes that take more than one half-assed hear through to appreciate completely.

Having said that, his solo projects often leave me wanting more than what is offered. Make no mistake, there’s no shortage of ORL product, its more like a huge surplus of twisted ambient experimentalism. He released 12 separate LP’s over 3 years, which is an insane pace; way more releases than anyone on the radar within the community. Songs are hit or miss, but when they hit, they hit hard. The thing that separates Omar from the pack is his ability to change the mood of the album with a single track, and those tracks are true gems that are littered within each and every one of the albums hes released so far. Take Coma Pony for example, from the album “Apocalypse Inside of an Orange”; rhythmic bongos overlapped with the paralyzing shreddings of Omar wrapped in a subtly calm mood.

“Xenophanes” is Omar’s fifth release this year alone, and it happens to be the best one of 2009 so far. The intro to “asco que conmueve los puntos erógenos” is uncharted territory in the music realm and will blow up minds. “Oremos” captures mysterious emotion that’s haunting yet soft and almost friendly in a way (after you make it through the chaotic intro). To cap it off, Omar outdoes himself with the beautiful Desarraigo, reverberating chords beneath the savory hispanic flavor of Cedric Bixler Zavala’s vocals cling to the ear and never let go.

Do yourself a favor and give it a listen. Its audible bliss.

01. Flight Of The Feathered Serpent // Fuck Buttons
02. Chocolate Cheesecake // Bon Mod
03. In your Heart // A Place to Bury Strangers
04. Deluxe Casino Royal // Casino Royal
05. Fuego // Black Disco
06. Ornen // Madamm
07. Love and Greed // Magneta Lane
08. No One’s Happy // Male Nurse
09. Mundo De Ciegos // Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
10. All The Hospitals // People Eating People

Prog Happenings will be a semi-regular summary of the various events that have punctuated the prog landscape recently, as well as some of my thoughts on each. Basically they’re the events that don’t justify an entire post, but are still worth talking about. So without further stalling:

Dream Theater Wins ‘Spirit of Prog’ Award at Classic Rock Awards (http://bit.ly/23iZRW)

This past Monday Classic Rock, a UK hard rock magazine, had their yearly Roll of Honor awards, and Dream Theater was presented with the ‘Spirit of Prog’ award. Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman presented the award to band leader and drummer Mike Portnoy and had some very high praise of the group during the presentation.

For all the crap I dish out on Mike Portnoy and Dream Theater on this blog, I’m glad they got this award. Without them prog would probably be a dead genre, and Portnoy in particular has done a lot to promote progressive music in the main stream. I personally wouldn’t have ever become enamored with the genre if it wasn’t for Dream Theater, so I think this award is absolutely deserved by the band. This doesn’t mean I’m going to stop ripping them though.

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer Reform for Performance at High Voltage Festival in the UK(http://bit.ly/4hZq83)

ELP, one of the classic prog rock groups that your average music fan might at least recognize the name of if they were alive during the 70’s, will be reforming for one performance at the new High Voltage Festival being held next July in the UK.

Older prog fans are giddy with excitement over this. Personally I’m going to be interested in seeing how the band has aged. While they didn’t stop making music on their own, the group last performed together in the 1990s. I’m predicting that they won’t be lighting any more cannons on stage, MAYBE one if they’re feeling spry. Seriously, Greg Lake is one of my personal prog bass heroes, so I’m praying there will be a recording of this at some point.

Mars Volta Fire Drummer Thomas Pridgen. Maybe. Kind of. Anyone know if this actually happened?

Rumors are flying all over the web right now about the current status of the Mars Volta and their drummer Thomas Pridgen. A recent show was canceled with fans at the venue being told by security that the band had fired their drummer during sound check. The band and Prigden have been totally silent about the rumors thus far, which only adds to the speculation. Fans are fairly split right now on 1) whether or not this is true, 2) whether or not losing Pridgen would be a good or bad thing, and 3) who should take his place (Zach Hill and former drummer Jon Theodore seem to be the most popular choices).

I personally love Pridgen, so I hope these rumors are just that, rumors. That being said, the Mars Volta’s line-up has always been growing and shrinking on the whims of Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, so I’m preparing myself mentally for this rumor to be true. I’d love to see Theodore back with the group, as he’s a drummer with great energy, great chops, and a unique style behind the kit. However I’m guessing the door between Theodore and the band has been nailed, screwed, and welded shut, so I don’t expect that reunion to happen any time soon. Keeping my eye on this one…

Between the Buried and Me/Cynic/The Devin Townsend Project/Scale the Summit Announce US Tour (http://bit.ly/8IDu0)

Almost as if to prove that progressive rock is starting to flourish in the US again, fans will be able to feast on this prog smorgasbord starting in January of 2010.  BTBAM have seen an absolutely huge growth in their popularity since appearing as a supporting act on last year’s Progressive Nation tour, large enough that they are headlining this tour that contains two other prog heavyweights, Cynic and Devin Townsend.

Cynic is a band no one in the world knows outside of prog historians, as they recorded one integral album in the history of prog before disbanding. Their reunion was something prog fans have been asking for for over a decade, so the fact that they’re serving as a supporting act here is kind of surprising. Devin Townsend is one of progressive rock’s mad scientists (in fact, I think we ONLY have mad scientists). Some consider him to be a more metal, more more balding, more Canadian Frank Zappa. He’s one of the darlings of the prog online community, and living proof of how the internet has impacted the genre. Scale the Summit is another beneficiary of the Progressive Nation tour, having been the opening act on this past year’s US leg. They’re very young but many people see this as being a good thing, and predict many quality albums in their future as the band continues to mature.

A comical, probably unintentional coincidence on this tour is that it features bands with growling vocals (BTBAM), computerized vocals (Cynic), weird-ass vocals (Devin Townsend), and no vocals (Scale the Summit). If you’re the kind of person who’s bothered when the douche bag next to you at a concert is singing louder than the band, you won’t have any problems on this tour.

Umphrey’s Mcgee S2 Shows Walk The Line Between Progressive and Hippie Bullshit (http://bit.ly/2zNYtv)

Progressive jam band Umphrey’s Mcgee has come up with a very…creative concept for some of their shows. Their “Stew Art Series” lets fans suggest themes that the band then uses as inspiration for a totally improvised concert. Fans can use cue cards, text messaging, and other media to suggest themes before and even during the show, and it’s up to the band to them turn these concepts into music.

While I think this is certainly a ‘progressive’ effort, I’m unsure of whether or not this will actually translate into quality music. UM is absolutely the band to undertake this effort, as I think they’re among the best improv jamers on the planet, but this just seems like an exercise in hippie silliness to me. To be fair I’ve only heard the samples from the first show that the band has provided on their blog, so I don’t know what the overall product has sounded like so far. The list of themes I’ve seen fans come up with have also been fairly entertaining, like ‘mudslide on mars’ and ‘Chaka Khan at an Iron Maiden show’.

Cracked Tells You How to Be a Prog Rocker (http://bit.ly/2FYtec)

While I wanted to cover most of this in the second half of my post on Stereotypes in Prog rock, cracked.com has done a great job in poking fun at the genre I love. Check it out if you want a good laugh. Now I just need to figure out how I can write the second half of that post without looking like I blatantly plagiarized from this…

Thank you!

A ton of people have started reading this blog in the past few days, so I just wanted to say thank you to anyone who stops by. Hopefully you like what you see and will keep coming back to read my bullshit.

At the Drive-In live. Copyright Fearless Records.

Shaky cam footage, non-soundboard quality audio with levels to make your ears bleed and late 90s level VHS video quality. But, thanks to the filmmakers at unartig, we have yet another six views into the world of the last 3 years of At the Drive-In, including their second to last performance in February 2001.

Everything from Omar’s opiate induced sporadic guitar solos to Cedric’s berating of slam dancers; it’s all on display in this series of compiled videos. These videos give a new perspective for those who, like myself, were never able to see At the Drive-In live before their infamous breakup. They span from 1999-2001 and serve as almost a visual and aural timeline showcasing the band’s energetic and often uniquely flawed live shows from the In/Casino/Out tour to the Relationship of Command tour. They were never the tight pop rock shows that larger, more commercial bands would put on. However, their shows were renowned for the band’s on-stage presence and improvisation within songs. These videos simply further the legacy of the punk band that helped to create post-hardcore as we know it today. The band’s second to last performance in Bremen, Germany is below. Be sure to check out the article at unartig for all the videos and unartig’s blip.tv profile for individual videos and larger size.

I could post the crappy cellphone pictures of have of the concert, but it wouldn’t serve as a true memory of the event for two reasons. First, they are far too blurry to even get a sense of what’s going on. If you want some decent photos of the concert, check out rights_reserverd’s flickr gallery. Second, and more importantly, a photographic memory is only half the experience.

The Mars Volta live at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Photo taken by mrdoubtfire.

When I first walked into the Electric Factory, I started to think about the set list that had been circling setlist.fm and how I wouldn’t want to hear some of the songs off of the new album. I looked upstairs at the bar section and thought about how it would be great to be 21 and drink after the show. As I looked out on the public admission crowd, I was worried about how this relatively young crowd would act (Although, I’m glad their age contributed to their height). The showtime on the ticket was at 8 PM (In my head it was an 8 o’clock show anyway. Later found out it was an 8:30 show). At 8:29 PM, I started to get impatient and started to wonder how fresh the band was going to be, whether or not they wanted to be there and maybe, just maybe, they had cancelled the show last second. All these worries continued to pile up as that 30-minute wait started to weigh down on me and, presumably, the rest of the crowd.

Then, Isaiah, Marcel, Juan, Thomas, Cedric and Omar all started to file out of the back room to what sounded like the soundtrack to an old western movie, and all the doubt and impatience washed away. As the prelude to “Intertiatic E.S.P.,” “Son Et Lumiere,”  from De-Loused in the Comatorium (their first full length) began with the ominous keyboard intro and Cedric first emoted those almost nonsensically complex lyrics dripping in his acidic version of a male-singing soprano, there were no doubts.

From Intertiatic E.S.P. on, it was obvious that “the Mars Volta” came to play. I could go on about how well each song was performed. There were some noticeable moments, including one mishap at the end of “Roulette Dares” (Also from De-Loused) where it seemed like Juan Alderete couldn’t get a bass loop to stop and Omar was forced to take an already slow, moody jam and stretch it out even further. I could complain about how I wanted them to bring the jam that they did at Bonnaroo of “Cygnus Vismund Cygnus” to this concert. But, after having experiencing what transpired between the hours of 8:30 PM and 10:05 PM, complaining would sound like needless bickering.

Now, what I said before about the Mars Volta’s new album is true. Out of the four songs from their new album they were on the set lists circulating online, I was only looking forward to “Cotopaxi,” one of the singles off of the album. However, the performance was able to supersede any of the problems I had with the songs previously. Originally, I thought these songs felt lifeless and they felt like fruitless attempts at trying to create pop songs that were still distinctly “the Mars Volta.” Basically, the whole “their old stuff is better” argument just re-purposed. But their performance of these songs was with so much vitriol and confidence, it was hard to not to believe in these songs.

The live show did for me what many punk shows do for new fans; it opened my eyes. After being a  Mars Volta fan for a little under two years and really preferring the tracks off of De-loused in the Comatorium and Frances the Mute, this was the live show I needed to see. It wasn’t a two and a half-hour jam session (outside of that Roulette Dares thing), but everything was tight and well put together. Perhaps it was because their secondary guitarist, Paul Hinojos, and their wind performer, Adrián Terrazas-González, weren’t with them, but something about the show struck me like I was watching Cedric’s and Omar’s previous band, At the Drive-in, back in the mid to late-90s and I was going to get a demo CD after the show. They didn’t play with the same amount of energy, as that what opiates and age will do to you, but they still have the same amount of enthusiasm when it comes to performing.

Cedric was his normal, insane self doing hand plants and generally just gyrating around stage like a mad man, although it wasn’t exactly At the Drive-in at Big Day Out 2001. Also, his vocals were the best I’ve seen in a while as he was able to nail pretty much everything, including the stuff off of De-Loused. Omar was relatively reigned in compared to his other live performances, but he still had his moments like the solos to “Drunkship of Lanterns” and “Goliath“. What was more surprising was how confident he seemed in everything that he was doing; constantly stepping to the front of the stage during his guitar solos and walking with the swagger that you expect more out of Cedric. The standout of the night was Thomas Pridgen, the drummer. It might have been the fact that the acoustics of the Factory were way too far in his favor, but he dominated the set and has become far more in tune with the band. He was  the driving force during the more aggressive songs yet knew when to settle down during the softer songs unlike his previous performances like those during the Nissan Live Sets. During this set, he was noticeably excited with his mouth wide open during the more aggressive parts that showcased his skills and during his solo towards the middle of the performance. He’s a technically proficient madman and has really found his own sound within the band.

If there was one complaint I had, it’s that the last two songs of the set, “The Widow” and “Wax Simulacra,” gave the set a crowd-pleaser feeling rather than the raw dynamic the band is known for. With the rest of the performance so captivating and full of energy, by having both “The Widow” and “Wax Simulcra”, both very pop-oriented songs, it seemed to create this weird contrast with the rest of the concert. Ultimately, it didn’t matter which songs they played, as the way they were selling themselves to the crowd would have made any song more than acceptable.

still reeling from seeing the mars volta live last thursday, i was elated to find our wonderful friends over at sargent house have two of omar rodriguez-lopez’s albums streaming in their entirety for free. lovely

albums after the jump.

omar rodriguez-lopez on myspace

- sunbear

Acaban de lanzar oficialmente en ORL Productions el disco en vivo titulado “Los Sueños de un Hígado“. Este show es parte de la última gira europea que hicieron y lo grabaron en la BBC en Marzo de este año. Incluye a la “nueva integrante” Ximena Sariñana en las voces, Juan Alderete en el bajo, Mark Aanderud en teclas, Thomas Pridgen en la batería, Marcel Rodríguez-Lopez en teclas y percusiones y a Omar Rodríguez-Lopez en la guitarra.

Ya lo pueden escuchar legalmente en streaming (buena calidad) en esta página además de todos sus otros álbums en versión completa. También pueden bajarlo en gran calidad pero poniendo tu precio (arriba de 1.99 USD).

Tracklist:

1. Boiling Death Request A Body To Rest Its Head On (9:30)
2. How To Bill The Bilderberg Group (6:48)
3. Locomoción Capilar (3:15)
4. Las Flores Con Limón (7:33)
5. Víctimas Del Cielo (8:01)

Esta es la colaboración con Damo Suzuki de Please Heat This Eventually. Es casi el doble de larga que la que sale en el disco solista de Omar Rodriguez-López Se Dice Bisonte, No Búfalo. En el link de abajo la pueden escuchar en streaming (buena calidad) o bajarla en formatos más finos, aunque pagando mínimo 1.99 dólares. Por cierto, ahi en esa página al lado tienen más streams (creo que completos) de todos sus discos solistas, recomiendo mucho Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fungus, Cryptomnesia, Se Dice Bisonte, No Búfalo A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Vol.1 y The Apocalypse Inside of an Orange.

Please Heat This Eventually

Former El Pasoan Omar Rodriguez-Lopez had this to say about their Texas roots and how it indirectly affects their music.

He says his time in Texas had to have had some influence on him, even if the music he made had little to do with what is typically tagged as Texas music.

“Even if you’d never heard of ‘Texas music’ the fact that I was living in these landscapes and seeing the same things that people who love that music are seeing, that filters through your own set of circumstances. Living in the desert you can’t help but produce a certain kind of sound.

“It seems like any place we’ve had roots, there’s some camaraderie there.”

Later in the story:

He suggests the time he and Bixler-Zavala spent in El Paso in some way informed Cotopaxi. “I can’t help but think we’ve been influenced by stories of the disappearance of all those women in Juarez,” he says.

“One of the themes of this record was disappearances, physical and emotional disappearances.”

Their world tour will make a stop tomorrow in San Antonio.

For more, read here.

You ever hear of Omar Rodríguez-López? This guy’s talent and style are beyond sickening. I caught him and his band live once, but I would definitely like to see them again in a more intimate setting.

On another note, I think it’s time to minimalize yet again. I’ve been getting a little sloppy, and I’ve been purchasing a lot of toys as of late. I just picked up Suze Orman’s “The money book for the young fabulous and broke.” Haha. From the library of course.

I feel bad for the people who get into more debt by buying books about how to get out of debt.

Also, I have been without internet in my apartment for a week now.

I saw The Mars Volta in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Labor Day.

Me and a few friends made the 2 hour drive from Fayetteville, Arkansas to Cain’s Ballroom.

I have heard a lot about Cain’s Ballroom over the years, and I was not disappointed.

Even The Mars Volta commented on what a great venue it is and how its audiences are always some of their favorites.

Here are some pics from the show:

Omar and Cedric

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez

Cedric Bixler-Zavala

One of my favs

He melted my face off!

The Mars Volta

Da segnalare l’uscita del nuovo album di Julliette Lewis, simpaticissimo personaggio multitalentato che sicuramente molti ricordano nel film di Oliver Stone “Natural Born Killers”. La Lewis canta fin da quando era bambina. Nel suo canale youtube la si può vedere in età adolescenziale in un video degli anni ’80. Predilige le sonorità del punk-rock, che ci riversa addosso con tutta la funambolica energia del suo ciorpicino segalitico e della sua boccona sexy.

La cosa più interessante di questo Terra Incognita, album uscito pochi giorni fa, è la presenza del mitico Omar Rodriguez in sala produzione. Come ho già detto in un articolo precedente, il folle chitarrista dei Mars Volta non riesce a star fermo due minuti.

Altro pollice alto da dare alla Lewis è per il suo rapporto con gli strumenti della rete con i quali sembra avere molta confidenza. Come altri grandi personaggi dello spettacolo (sono sempre di più, ma sono sempre troppo pochi) Juliette utilizza tutti i maggiori social network per proporsi e presentare i propri lavori (MySpace, Youtube ecc…) Questi artisti rappresentano l’onda contraria a quella strascinata delle grandi case discografiche che cercano sempre nuovi espedienti per ostacolare il fenomeno del file sharing.

Come diceva quel vecchio proverbio cinese; quando arriva la tempesta c’è chi cerca riparo e chi costruisce mulini. Brava Juliette!!!!
Qui sopra il video del singolo Fantasy Bar.

Genre(s): Experimental Rock, Progressive Rock

Country: United States

The best way to describe this album would be The Mars Volta if they were on crack (if they aren’t already). And I’m sure many would agree that the Volta are pretty crazy as it is, meaning this album is a really out there. There’s literally no room for breathing on this album due to it’s frantic pace and sound. Omar’s guitar is as shredding and dissonant as ever, and Cedric’s vocals add an appropriate amount of angst to the affair. Not recommended for the faint of heart.

Track list:

1. Tuberculoids   (4:17)
2. Half Kleptos   (3:09)
3. Cryptomnesia   (6:03)
4. They’re Coming to Get You, Barbara   (4:01)
5. Puny Humans   (2:30)
6. Shake Is for 8th Graders   (2:12)
7. Noir   (3:45)
8. Paper Cunts   (2:51)
9. Elderly Pair Beaten with Hammer   (2:03)
10. Warren Dates   (4:55)
11. Fuck Your Mouth   (0:23)

Total Length: 36:14

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Download.

Perder El Arte de la Razón Sin Mover Un Solo Dedo:

a) Flores de Cizaña:

b) María Celeste:

Flores es la puta onda, pero puse las demás partes por que como que sola no queda (?). Ya espero mi vinil, cuando llegue haré una review. Definitivamente entra en mi post de los top ten de discos del año.

20 Watts played Asobi Seksu, DJ Shadow and more on WERW

Eric, Chris and Caitlin are in the studio this evening spinning an hour of new music, an hour of trip-hop and an hour of local songs! Tune in by opening iTunes and selecting radio > college radio > WERW or by clicking this link. We’ll be in the studio until 1 a.m.!

Want to talk to us or request a song? IM werw1570, tweet @20_watts or call (315) 443-1278. The third caller gets Chris Parker’s voice on their voicemail… it doesn’t get much better than that.

New tracks are in bold, local artists are italicized.

And don’t forget to tune in to 20 Watts’ Audiocandy+ shows on Wednesday and Thursday from 9-11 p.m.!

artist: Asobi Seksu [read our review of Transparence]
title: New Year
album: Rewolf

artist: Echo and the Bunnymen [13/20 watts -- read the review]
title: Life of a Thousand Crimes
album: The Fountain

artist: Omar Rodriguez Lopez
title: Azoemia
album: Xenophanes

artist: Pants Yell!
title: Rue de la Paix
album: Received Pronunciations

artist: Wale [15/20 watts -- read the review]
title: Chillin’
album: Attention Deficit

artist: Yeasayer
title: Ambling Alp (Memory Tapes Remix)
album: Ambling Alp

artist: Memory Tapes
title: Bicycle
album: Seek Magic

artist: Future Islands
title: Little Dreamer
album: Post Office Wave Chapel

artist: Grizzly Bear
title: Slow Life
album: New Moon OST [read our coverage of New Moon]

artist: Bibio [16/20 watts -- read the review]
title: Lovers’ Carvings (Leatherette Remix)
album: The Apple and The Tooth

artist: Arcade Fire [by request -- thank you for listening!]
title: Lenin
album: Dark Was The Night Compilation

artist: Atlas Sound
title: Doctor (Five Discs Cover)
album: N/A

artist: A Sunny Day in Glasgow
title: Shy (Ernest Gonzalez Remix)
album: N/A

READ THE 20: YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO TRIP-HOP

artist: DJ Shadow
title: Midnight in a Perfect World
album: Endtroducing

artist: Portishead
title: Glory Box
album: Dummy

artist: Massive Attack
title: Unfinished Sympathy
album: Blue Lines

artist: Tricky
title: Hell Is Round the Round the Corner
album: Maxinquaye

artist: Kid Koala
title: Fender Bender
album: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

artist: Portishead
title: Machine Gun
album: Dummy

artist: Rob Dougan
title: Clubbed to Death
album: N/A

artist: Blockhead
title: Triptych PT 1
album: Music by Cavelight

artist: Wagon Christ
title: Tally Ho
album: Tally Ho

artist: Red Snapper
title: Like A Moving Truck
album: Making Bones

artist: Becoming X
title: Sneaker Pimps
album: Sneaker Pimps

artist: DJ Shadow
title: What Does Your SOul Look Like Pt. 2
album: Preemptive Strike

artist: Massive Attack
title: Inertia Creeps
album: Mezzanine

artist: No Connection
title: The Weight
album: Lovely Devils

artist: Lemuria
title: Mechanical
album: Get Better

artist: Mayflower
title: Movie Quotes & Inside Jokes
album: Awesome Stuff

artist: Alex Kerns
title: Clamor On
album: Lovely Letters

artist: This Day & Age
title: The Bell And The Hammer
album: The Real Stuff

artist: Goo Goo Dolls [by request -- thank you for listening!]
title: Iris
album: Not Good

artist: The Screw-Ups
title: Don’t Care Much About Reggae
album: EP

artist: The Felice Brothers [see photos from last night's show]
title: Greatest Show on Earth
album: The Felice Brothers

artist: Moustache [by request -- thank you for listening!]
title: That French Song
album: Love is French

I was beginning to think my lack of internet was the Lord Almighty telling me not to waste my time blogging, but then I remembered to plug the ethernet cable back into the wall because I had taken into the other room for my Xbox. Now that I’ve finished embarrassing myself – here are some songs for you.

The Ink Spots: I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire – This is the theme song to Fallout 3 and it sounds like an old american songbook ballad. It’s in mono sound and just has a very unique vibe to it, and that is probably because it’s authentic which is something we take for granted nowadays. The ink spots were an african american group during the 30’s and 40’s so it’s a chance for you to experience song roots of modern music.

Them Crooked Vultures: Scumbag Blues – Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and John Paul Jones unite for a breathtaking journey into the future of music. Just as I was beginning to think things could only go downhill from here some of the gods in the rock world have stepped up to gather the sheep and lead the flocks. If you need some groove tonight and you need some rock and roll, just be grateful I’ve shown you the path. The link above is just an attachment to an instrumental promo. The album comes out this Tuesday.

Easy Star All-Stars: With A Little Help From My Friends – That’s right folks, the great new reggae band has covered our beatles favorites on their new album “Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band”. Might be my new favorite cover band and you haven’t lived until you’ve checked this music out.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez: Mundo de Ciegos – Mars Volta’s frontman has a new album out and this prog-rocker doesn’t hold anything back. It’s chaotic, melodic, and intense. It’s in spanish and it almost sounds more natural that way. Check out something new and get a taste of the heavens on this smooth flowing jam.

LCD Soundsystem: [45:33] Track 2 - This smooth jam that was designed partly as a workout tape is phenomenal and part two is the perfect song to add to your iPod to run to, to dance to, to get intimate to, to party to, there is no bad time to play this song.

This Tuesday was sad for me. It was the first Tuesday in a long while on which I acquired no new releases. This is what was to offer:

AC/DC – Backtracks [I've got a ways to go before I can start buying AC/DC b-sides]

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Live [ I might get this later on]

Dashboard Confessional – Alter the Ending [This Tuesday wasn't THAT sad]

Omar Rodriguez Lopez – Xenophanes [Trying to keep up with ORL's solo work is too daunting a task for this guy]

Snow Patrol – Up to Now [Far from thrilling]

Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane [I'm gonna play hard to get on this one]

So there you have it. If it was a good Tuesday for you, tell us why.

–Ben