Customer Reviews

Calibration (is Pushing Luck and Key Too Far)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I cannot get enough of Omar Rodriguez Lopez's music (or the Mars Volta). Everything he comes out with is fresh, and he aims for a new musical idea with every new album he records. Calibration is no different...It begins with a electronic, spacey experimental jam call "mexico," and continues in the same direction for the rest of the album. The album features the "Mars Volta Family" as the sticker on the album says, which includes Thoms Pridgen (Mars Volta) on drums, Money Mark (Beastie Boys) on synth, John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) on vocals, Adrian Terrazas Gonzalez (Mars Volta/Omar Quintet) on woodwinds, and Cedric on vocals.
Each track is a spacey adventure into a world of electronic sound collages that Omar has arranged and directed into awesome contemporary pieces of art. His guitar moves in and out of the mix of sounds created by the great artists that surround him on this album. At times, it sounds like something really crazy off of "Bedlam in Goliath," although this album is in a completely experimental direction. This is recommended for fans of the Mars Volta and Omar's other solo projects. This is some of the spaciest music I have heard from him so far, I can't wait to see what he puts out next!

Seriously, I don't know why everything Omar makes does this to me, and I often wonder if it's just me, but here we go:

I bought Calibration, and gave it a listen. I went through the entire album and it was spacey and weird (like I expected). It was okay, but I didn't think I would listen to it too much. 5 days later, I put together a playlist real fast to work to and realize that every single track from this album had grown on me so much in 5 days that they are all on this list. TMV and Omar's side project concept albums are more than just music for me. They are basically all I listen to, they never get old, and since they cover 4 different genres at some point in their albums so far I have songs that sound great no matter what mood I am in.

Calibration is no different. I could seriously put this album on repeat for a few days straight and the thought of it getting old would never enter my head.

3 1/2

Investing in Omar's stuff can be a mixed bag, albeit one inherently more satisfying by eccentric rock guitar enthusiasts. There are always brilliantly fluid jams but also always heavy indulgences (rarely ever combining as effortlessly as this blissful closer). Thankfully this overwhelming creative source has been refining the latter, making his many yearly outputs, aside from heavy MV recording, still so intriguing; the man continues to own minor-key electric articulation as one of our few visionary stringers.

Pretty much anything that has "Omar Rodriguez-Lopez" on it, or in it, is going to be great. I have yet to be disappointed with this man's work.
This album is just a great relief when i hear it. It's very soothing and flowing, theres not really any empty space in the album. It's filled with beautiful crescendos and decrescendos between the string instruments. There appearance on this album (to me) is the most important part. The strings bring out the true, sometimes very melancholy sounding, themes in the music.
But they make me feel hopeful. So if you love anything else Omar has made, you'll definetely love this album.

Although not one of Omar's best or most intriguing release in my opinion, at the same time this album is an absolute must-have for any person studying him, like me. This album is dominantly, although by no means entirely, electronic beats and rhythms; but not in a bad way, its just more keyboard and sound manipulation than guitar or electric bass. Not one of his most complex works, but still a very good listen. And a very solid record that very-well presents this style of music Omar decided to make. A necessity of someone who is compiling a complete catalog of his different works and types of music he's created.

for somebody who quit doing drugs i think mr. omar is quite losing his mind.

i'm still kind of obsessed with him but. you know. he is. crazy.