Omar Rodriguez-Lopez: Old Money
[Stones Throw Records]
[xrr rating= 3.35/5]
Reviewed by: Christian Hagen
In response to just about every review I’ve ever posted on this site, I’ve always gotten a flood of comments from people (who I automatically imagine are bald men, for whatever reason) who decry my musical tastes and bemoan the lack of “ROCK” music on the site. I can only presume that these people want me to write about something heavy. Something loud, something fast, something in-your-face. Something that sounds HARD. Well, whenever someone tries to tell me that all I listen to is “pussy rock”, or if anyone says that hard rock music hasn’t been good in the last decade, I first show them The Mars Volta. And for those who can stick through more than one full song, it’s usually a revelation.
The Mars Volta are one of the craziest, ballsiest, most creative bands you will ever listen to. And since their sophomore release, Frances The Mute, they’re one of the heaviest and fastest “hip” bands in the scene today. The band is known for its outrageous tempo changes, screaming horns, and uniquely incomprehensible guitar solos. The man who composes all of their songs is their guitarist, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. So, it should come as no shock to anyone who’s listened to The Mars Volta that every other track of this solo effort is no less complex, unusual, or rocking. In those songs, there is a distinct feeling of déjà vu, with musical ideas and arrangements that sound like rehashed riffs from TMV’s The Bedlam in Goliath. It’s strange to be almost jaded with such a fantastic musical mind, but it’s true. Just about every other track on Old Money is same old, same old.
But that’s just half of the genius at work here, and thankfully, refreshingly, Rodriguez-Lopez has learned how to capture his musical virtuosity in a record that isn’t just impressive but, in contrast with his previous solo efforts, is also fun to listen to. Take the fifth track, the nonsensically titled “Trilateral Commission As Dinner Guests” (I’m sure it means something to him). The song begins simply, a fairly strong beat backing a repetitious and slightly unusual lead guitar riff, when all of a sudden, in come the horns. And from there, the song is jazz/rock magic, Miles Davis-level creativity that perfectly blends the flavors of music that Rodriguez-Lopez has become famous for with his technical influences.
The rest of the album is Rodriguez Lopez at his finest, yet for all his spontaneity, it’s somehow predictable, almost rote for someone who’s crafted a career out of challenging listeners more than any other rock guitarist today. Still, it’s a more than worthy purchase for the self-respecting hard rock fan of today; experimental, dissonant, but absolutely brilliant. I won’t be showing this album off to every person I meet who complains about a lack of hard rock in my collection. But I have a feeling I’ll be able to lead those people to it. Eventually.
This post previously appeared on Pajiba