Review Summary: Omar comes Alive!
The previous live album from Omar Rodriguez-Lopez,
Los Sueños De Un Higado, exhibited an emphasis on atmosphere. The music that the album contained was very restrained, driven by emotions of heartbreak and melancholia that are confessed through it's lyrics. Though the lyrics were sung in Spanish, all of those feelings of heartbreak and angst that accompanied Ximena's soulful narration, were not lost in translation. The moody, nocturnal psychedelic atmosphere that was formulated by the instrumental members completely took us away, painting images in our heads and even perhaps having us reminisce of our own experiences with disappointment.
どういたしまして, ("You're Welcome"), proves to be the complete opposite from it's predecessor musically. The album begins with
"Un Buitre Amable Me Pico", right from the beginning we can hear the differences in direction and mood. The music in this album is much more upbeat. Where the music of Los Sueños De Un Higado emphasized on psychedelic ambience to create an atmosphere with dark overtones, this album is much more simple with a Pop-rock oriented sound. The music is much more instant, with little ambient effects, making for a more energetic performance from the band. There is also much more diversity in the music than in the previous album, it has a fluent balance of both soft and heavier sounding songs.
"No Hay Mas Respuestas" displays the perfect synergy between it's two main influences, Omar's heavier Psychedelic rock and Ximena's soulful Pop music. While songs like
"El Todo", displays a more delicate dream-like texture with hints of Shoegaze.
This album is also the first glimpse we get of Deantoni Parks, who at the time was rumored to be the replacement of drummer, Thomas Pridgen, who was revealed to no longer be part of The Mars Volta. In this second incarnation of
"Lorrentz" that was recorded for this album and the instrumental jam,
"My Horror is in Park, Drive Me Away Troubled Heart", he reveals to have a more different technique than Thomas Pridgen. His drumming is much more restrained and not as complex as Pridgen, but he has a dexterous feel for the overall groove and rhythm of the music providing a stunning debut throughout the album. This album displays another stellar performance from Omar's group, his music really comes to life in a live setting. And along with it's predecessor, continues to serve as evidence that all of the hype behind Omar's live performances exist for a reason.
