Showing posts with label The Mars Volta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Mars Volta. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Geek out time; Juan Alderete
If you like me love The Mars Volta, are a musician, and like to nerd out on gear you will love this 30 min interview with Juan Alderete about his effects rig. Its full of great info, demonstrations and moments of awesome; one of them being at around 15:30 you can hear Juan talk about the tremelo effect that you can hear so clearly on The Mars Volta's "A. Gust of Mutts" from their 06 live album Scabdates. This could be tedious to some, and fascinating to others, hopefully you fall in the later.You can watch it here or download it on iTunes.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
2/4/10 Playlist
February 4th, 2010 Setlist
Artist - Song (Album)
The Aggrolites - Firecracker (IV)
Quantic & His Combo Barbaro - Mambo Los Quantic (Tradition in Transition)
Wilco - Can't Stand It (Summerteeth)
Funkadelic - Can You Get To That (Maggot Brain)
The Raconteurs- Consoler of the Lonely (Consoler of The Lonely)
The Mars Volta - Drunkship of Lanterns (De-Loused in the Commatorium)
Muse - Knights of Cydonia (Black Holes and Revelations)
King Crimson - The Great Deceiver (The Great Deceiver)
Focus - Hocus Pocus (Moving Waves)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Stadium Arcadium)
I was also joined on this show by my friend Phil Sorrentino.
Artist - Song (Album)
The Aggrolites - Firecracker (IV)
Quantic & His Combo Barbaro - Mambo Los Quantic (Tradition in Transition)
Wilco - Can't Stand It (Summerteeth)
Funkadelic - Can You Get To That (Maggot Brain)
The Raconteurs- Consoler of the Lonely (Consoler of The Lonely)
The Mars Volta - Drunkship of Lanterns (De-Loused in the Commatorium)
Muse - Knights of Cydonia (Black Holes and Revelations)
King Crimson - The Great Deceiver (The Great Deceiver)
Focus - Hocus Pocus (Moving Waves)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Stadium Arcadium)
I was also joined on this show by my friend Phil Sorrentino.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Top 5 Albums of 2009
My Top 5 albums of the year are;
1.Rx Bandits - Mandala
Favorite Track : "My Lonesome Only Friend"
2.Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Favorite Track : "Temecula Sunrise"
3.Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist
Favorite Track : "Mornings"
4.The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Favorite Track: "Worm Mountain"
5.Big D & the Kids Table - Fluent In Stroll
Favorite Tracks: "Describing the Sky", "I I I", "Down Around Here"
Honorable Mentions;
Grizzly Bear - The Veckatamist
Soulive - Up Here
Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP
The Mars Volta - Octahedron
Everytime I Die - New Junk Aesthetic
Rx Bandits was my far and away favorite but the rest were kinda tricky. I wrestled between Dirty Projectors and Portugal. The Man, and although The Satanic Satanist has more staying power for me, I ultimately think Bitte Orca is the superior album. What initially caught my attention and ended up setting them apart for me was the excellent use of the human voice and harmony. The beautiful and intricate arrangements that David Longsreth and the crew put together in the name of pop music is just outstanding.
Embryonic was everything I didn't know I wanted from the Flaming Lips. They brought back their noisey past by way of kraut-rock inspired grooves. The fearless and dramatic turn that the Lips took really defines why they are one of my favorite bands.
The Veckatamist was close to making the cut but I had to give it to Fluent In Stroll. Big D really went for it with this record and it fucking payed off. Its a shame, but Big D is really the only band doing something new and creative with ska. But be warned, although ska influenced, it is by no means a ska record. What it is, is a record full of sunny and up-beat inventiveness.
Octahedron, which I thought was just ok at first, has grown on me quite a bit. Although not my favorite Volta, its a new side of them and makes for a great record in their long discography. The new Animal Collective EP is also great with "What Would I Want Sky" being down-right infectious.
What ended up winning me over this year were the bands that did something new and progressive with their sound. All the records in my top 5 are departures from the respective artists usual sound. This sense of freshness and exploration is what I love in music, and these bands really embodied it this year.
1.Rx Bandits - Mandala
Favorite Track : "My Lonesome Only Friend"
2.Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Favorite Track : "Temecula Sunrise"
3.Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist
Favorite Track : "Mornings"
4.The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Favorite Track: "Worm Mountain"
5.Big D & the Kids Table - Fluent In Stroll
Favorite Tracks: "Describing the Sky", "I I I", "Down Around Here"
Honorable Mentions;
Grizzly Bear - The Veckatamist
Soulive - Up Here
Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP
The Mars Volta - Octahedron
Everytime I Die - New Junk Aesthetic
Rx Bandits was my far and away favorite but the rest were kinda tricky. I wrestled between Dirty Projectors and Portugal. The Man, and although The Satanic Satanist has more staying power for me, I ultimately think Bitte Orca is the superior album. What initially caught my attention and ended up setting them apart for me was the excellent use of the human voice and harmony. The beautiful and intricate arrangements that David Longsreth and the crew put together in the name of pop music is just outstanding.
Embryonic was everything I didn't know I wanted from the Flaming Lips. They brought back their noisey past by way of kraut-rock inspired grooves. The fearless and dramatic turn that the Lips took really defines why they are one of my favorite bands.
The Veckatamist was close to making the cut but I had to give it to Fluent In Stroll. Big D really went for it with this record and it fucking payed off. Its a shame, but Big D is really the only band doing something new and creative with ska. But be warned, although ska influenced, it is by no means a ska record. What it is, is a record full of sunny and up-beat inventiveness.
Octahedron, which I thought was just ok at first, has grown on me quite a bit. Although not my favorite Volta, its a new side of them and makes for a great record in their long discography. The new Animal Collective EP is also great with "What Would I Want Sky" being down-right infectious.
What ended up winning me over this year were the bands that did something new and progressive with their sound. All the records in my top 5 are departures from the respective artists usual sound. This sense of freshness and exploration is what I love in music, and these bands really embodied it this year.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
2 New Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Records
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is a power house. Besides leading, composing and playing guitar for The Mars Volta, hes recently scored the movie The Burning Plan with Hans Zimmer, produced Juliette Lewis' new record, and continues to churn out new solo records almost constantly.
On Tuesday he's releasing his 12th solo album entitled Xenophanes. Even for a huge Omar-head like myself it is daunting to keep up with all of his records, but this one is of particular interest because it is the first time in his entire career that we are going to get to hear Omar sing! It will be sung completely in Spanish and this fact alone should make it worth a listen.
And just this morning another new album entitled Los Sue Os De Un Hidago was released digitally. This album was recorded with his group, including members of The Mars Volta and critically acclaimed/grammy winning singer Ximena Sariñana, live at BBC studios during a tour through Europe earlier this year.
This is probably one of my favorite solo albums Omar has released yet. Hell some of my overall favorite material in general. Where on many of his solo albums he can to indulge in his various styles, particularly the more experimental, this album is a great balance of all them all. He finds a center point which we haven't seen much of. It's not overly crazy, (a la Cryptomnesia) but also not ambient (Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Jeremy Michael Ward). Omar instead showcases all of his many talents in this 5 song set, something usually reserved for a Mars Volta disc. It proves to make a most enjoyable records.
Los Sue Os De Un Hidago also finds Omar working more with melody, be it through he guitar solos or through Ximena Sariñana's vocal work. Don't get me wrong though, Omar still retains his unique sense of style. The opening "Boiling Death Request A Body To Rest It's Head On" finds the group on the more fusion side of things and features some awesome keyboard work along with Omar's patent dissonant guitar lines. The last track, "Victimas Del Cielo", is a stand out and features more great vocal work from Sariña before showcasing Rodriguez's best guitar work on the ablum.
The great thing about this, and the rest of his solo work is that it can all be streamed for free at http://omarrodriguezlopez.bandcamp.com/. This has helped me sift through his large and rapidly expanding discography and find the gems (I also highly recommend The Apocalypse Inside of an Orange). These new projects find Omar continuously expanding and show that even with the large breath of music he's releasing, he is becoming anything but stale.
On Tuesday he's releasing his 12th solo album entitled Xenophanes. Even for a huge Omar-head like myself it is daunting to keep up with all of his records, but this one is of particular interest because it is the first time in his entire career that we are going to get to hear Omar sing! It will be sung completely in Spanish and this fact alone should make it worth a listen.
And just this morning another new album entitled Los Sue Os De Un Hidago was released digitally. This album was recorded with his group, including members of The Mars Volta and critically acclaimed/grammy winning singer Ximena Sariñana, live at BBC studios during a tour through Europe earlier this year.
This is probably one of my favorite solo albums Omar has released yet. Hell some of my overall favorite material in general. Where on many of his solo albums he can to indulge in his various styles, particularly the more experimental, this album is a great balance of all them all. He finds a center point which we haven't seen much of. It's not overly crazy, (a la Cryptomnesia) but also not ambient (Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Jeremy Michael Ward). Omar instead showcases all of his many talents in this 5 song set, something usually reserved for a Mars Volta disc. It proves to make a most enjoyable records.
Los Sue Os De Un Hidago also finds Omar working more with melody, be it through he guitar solos or through Ximena Sariñana's vocal work. Don't get me wrong though, Omar still retains his unique sense of style. The opening "Boiling Death Request A Body To Rest It's Head On" finds the group on the more fusion side of things and features some awesome keyboard work along with Omar's patent dissonant guitar lines. The last track, "Victimas Del Cielo", is a stand out and features more great vocal work from Sariña before showcasing Rodriguez's best guitar work on the ablum.
The great thing about this, and the rest of his solo work is that it can all be streamed for free at http://omarrodriguezlopez.bandcamp.com/. This has helped me sift through his large and rapidly expanding discography and find the gems (I also highly recommend The Apocalypse Inside of an Orange). These new projects find Omar continuously expanding and show that even with the large breath of music he's releasing, he is becoming anything but stale.
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