Customer Reviews

Cryptomnesia [Vinyl]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Maybe the most unique LP from ORL to date:

The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Sharrock elements of Omar Rodriguez's diverse influences make themselves know here. Zach Hill's drumming perfectly compliments Omar's style, and we get to hear Juan doing what he does best on bass: intricate shredding. The polyrhythmic chaos gives the sense of the most horrifying Scandinavian paintings and the jaunty humor of Captain Beefheart alternately. Cedric's first display of off-kilter melodies and a return to more hardcore and more obviously punk influenced lyrics is both refreshing and unsettling; there is little to suggest THIS sort of performance, looking over the vocals evident in ATDI and even the greater majority of Mars Volta pieces prior to Bedlam in Goliath. The Frank Zappa comparison is apt, and there is frankly nothing approaching ORL's diverse, large and ever growing catalog.


If math-rock, noise, hardcore vocals mixed with the structural elements of the Mahavishnu orchestra and Bavarian Polka, with the rhythmic and melodic sensibilities of free-jazz composers of the likes of Anthony Braxton and John Zorn leaves you distraught, non plussed, or just plain outraged, this album cannot be recommended on any terms.


BUT the best part is: there are two more LP's ready and waiting to make it down the distribution pipes- so if you like this, there is more to come!

(No. 2 from the Grupo Nuevo due for release in September: Xenophanes [Greek Philosopher just prior to Heraclites].)

This album had HIGH expectations from me, since this was a collaboration of epic proportions, with arguably the current most prolific and innovative drummer and guitarist working together for the first time. Overall, no doubt, I do like this album because I'm a huge fan of Zach Hill & Omar/TMV, but I have some complaints. Personally I dislike 'forced weirdness' and there are several times on this album when it seems like they're just trying to be weird for weirdness sake and it comes off as lame to me. Just my personal opinion really because I listen to a lot of 'weird' and avant-garde music and that's just the vibe I get, especially with the random, meaningless dialogue thrown in. The other major complaint is the lack of 'clear' sound quality on the whole album in general. This is just the way Omar edited/produced it to sound like, and to me it's just way too muddy and dense to be able to hear it all and analyze/understand it clearly(do both bass players always play? can't tell). So far I've also found it a little difficult to take this all in with one listen. It's better in short spurts. Anyway, having said that there are still several songs I really do love on this album. It's not really lacking in anyway, it's more like overkill and overthinking.

Although I was unsure if this record would be different than some of them more recent non-Mars Volta releases from Omar Rodriguez Lopez, I am more than thrilled to hear Cryptomnesia! These songs are fast, furious and to the point. The Vocals by Cedric Bixler Zavala on each of the songs, are what make this record stand out above the rest. I think this may be his best vocal performance EVER. I love The Mars Volta, but this is what I've been wanting to hear from these guys...

Although I was unsure if this record would be different than some of them more recent non-Mars Volta releases from Omar Rodriguez Lopez, I am more than thrilled to hear Cryptomnesia! These songs are fast, furious and to the point. The Vocals by Cedric Bixler Zavala on each of the songs, are what make this record stand out above the rest. I think this may be his best vocal performance EVER. I love The Mars Volta, but this is what I've been wanting to hear from these guys...

Omar Rodriguez Lopez's new album "Cryptomnesia" is a full-on frontal sonic assault that combines spacey rock, driving rhythms, and the apocalyptic vocal stylings of Cedric Bixler Zavala.

Comparisons have been made to Frank Zappa, Ornette Coleman, and a slew of other trendsetters in the experimental music genre. And, although they have some validity, Omar is blazing his own trail down the path of New Music. The compositions by Omar on this album continue his genre-bending tradition of the past several years, and this solo album might be his most ambitious and unique to date!

The album begins with "Tuberculoids," which creates an irresistable rock groove and, as always, includes crazy guitar riffs, incredible drumming, and Cedric's insane lyrics (Cedric sings on 8 of the 11 songs). One of the things that makes this album so easy to listen to again and again is the incredible drumming of Zack Hill (Hella). He is a force to be reckoned with, an unstoppable force...along with John Hischke (Hella) on synth-bass, these two members of Hella are a welcome addition to Omar's ever-changing line-up. Other favorites of mine are: "Shake is For 8th Graders," "Noir" (which includes a crazy, avant-garde breakdown), and the instant-classic "Elderly Pair Beaten with Hammer."

So, if you're up for another crazy, in-your-face, experimental-rock album from Composer-Arranger-Guitar genius Omar Rodriguez Lopez, this album will knock your socks off! The songs on this album flow into one another and the musicianship on this album creates an intensely cohesive experience which will keep you on the edge of your seat. I can't wait to hear the other two albums this group recorded!

I like Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's solo stuff, but I'd consider myself a much bigger Mars Volta fan, so I'm always a little wary of the solo projects, expecting some really good experimental music, but just waiting it out till the next TMV album will pop up, but when I heard Zack Hill of Hella and is own solo fame, was on this record I didn't even hesitate in buying it.

And its a really solid album. Hearing Omar and Cedric perform over mind-flattening drum beats provided by the one and only is pure joy that really cranks the heartbeat and leaves you replaying the album.

If you're interested in this album as a casual Mars Volta fan, or a fan of Omar, or a fan of Zack Hill just go ahead and pick this album up somewhere, and soon.

Rodriguez-Lopez Production's first release was definitely an epic one. Featuring a super group of fantastic musicians, this release is one of the most rewarding of Omar's releases. Its explosive, comedic, wholehearted, multi-faceted, and just plain ass-kicking. This is definitely one of his most accessible side projects, since its not as complex as some of his other releases like Fungus Makes... or A Manual Dexterity or any early Volta releases for that matter. At the same time, its also very rewarding for the more advanced listener, since it can me a nice a fun break from Omar's complex music. That being said, as much as some people may enjoy this record, just as many others will probably hate it. I didn't like it very much the few times I listened to it but it grew on me. 4(1/2) stars out of 5.

Treat this album with more than one listen and you're in for a REAL diamond in Omar's already large catalog of releases. Just wanted to say that off the bat because a lot of people I know just hear the "freak out" parts and just sort of shut down to the album, which is a real shame.

The album I daresay is Cedric's finest hour... Everything he says just feels real, not contrived but not improvisational, not arbitrary yet never clear. I could go on and on about the singing on this album, I'm really not sure why, but the anger or I guess ferocity with which he says most of the lyrics it just really is great.

Omar and Zach are (un)surprisingly an incredible match. If you're thinking the two are going to sound like TMV mixed with Hella, you're right. Omar's guitar parts are more like that of his work on De-Loused surprisingly... much more riffed based throughout but when the solos come, they COME. Zach of course is a force of nature but under control and on top of the beat, while still delivering his incredibly musical and melodic drumming to Omar's "madness". The bass(es?) are fantastic. The bassline and beat on Half Kleptos is just damn tight.

I'm just going to add: Once you get past the track "Noir" you're in for a serious treat if you remotely like anything associated with these artists... It's just truly incredible.

My only fear is that this just becomes another one time thing with Omar... Would be a damn shame. While I don't expect a new album any time soon, I really, really hope something happens with this group in the future. The chemistry is just too good to not continue.

I can see how this album simply doesn't appeal to certain people, but really I'm astonished by the amount of Omar and Hill fans who found this "too weird". It's seriously good.

Besides typically releasing one album per year with The Mars Volta, guitarist/musical director Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has a rather startling output of work. The amount of music this man releases each year is shocking and most of it is rather inaccessible to fans of his work with TMV and At the Drive-In. Cryptomnesia is not a solo album by Rodriguez-Lopez, but a very short LP that began as a musical collaboration between Rodriguez-Lopez, a couple other members of TMV, and the drummer of Hella; Zach Hill. The music was never released and a couple years later, Cedric Bixler-Zavala added some lyrics and vocals to the music and the result is this album.

Obviously, one can't expect a cohesive album here and Cryptomnesia is definitely not cohesive. It's littered with sound effects, it's choppy, the song titles are clearly not being taken seriously, and the record sounds rushed and unpolished. Don't perceive these thoughts as negative, because much of the album still works remarkably well. It's much more accessible than many of Rodriguez-Lopez' solo albums and it'll obviously attract many TMV fans (especially those disappointed by the pop quality of their last release Octahedron).

The first song "Tuberculoids" has very catchy music and is, actually, a really great song. "Half Kleptos" also is one of the most memorable off the album with lyrics that surprisingly make sense. The third song, the title track, sounds like an experimental TMV song and is really good. "They're Coming to Get You, Barbara" is an instrumental that seems like a sort of abstract, sonic collage. "Puny Humans" sounds like TMV and ATDI, with a strong punk influence throughout. The song is a little bi-polar, but pretty good. "Shake is for 8th Graders" is basically the final two minutes of the previous song. "Noir" is perfectly titled, but except for being atmospheric does nothing. "Paper C****" sounds like a rushed improve, while "Elderly Pair Beaten with Hammer" is amusing, but to brief to make an impression. "Warren Oates" sounds like an abandoned TMV song and seems like it could grow on me, while "F*** Your Mouth" is a simple outro.

As you'd expect, it's experimental and one looking for straight-forward, polished-sounding songs should only shop for TMV records and that albums like these should be left to only their most hardcore fans...But Cryptomnesia is honestly an album that could appeal to a fairly broad audience. It's hardly flawless, though...Rodriguez-Lopez is in good form and Bixler-Zavala turns in a couple vocal performances that are really good, but some seem to end prematurely or just seem unnecessary to the song. Rodriguez-Lopez' production is one of the album's weaker elements too, as he didn't seem to pay much attention to mastering it and cleaning it up a bit.

I do believe that Cryptomnesia is a pretty good piece of music, overall but it does feel like a demo made in someone's garage that a band would shop around until they hit it big. I recommend listening to it and forming your own opinion, but don't expect a masterpiece.

GRADE: B-

When Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez starts a side project to "experiment" you know its going to be something interesting. Rodriguez-Lopez calls on the talents of Juan Alderete de la Peña and Cedric Bixler-Zavala from Mars Volta and Zach Hill and Jonathan Hischke of Hella. All worthy talents, with Hill in particular one of the most explosive drummers out there in my opinion. Hill seems to be best when he has to restrain himself a tiny bit, and the results are impressive. Though this recording is not for the faint of heart, the music attacks full force from start to finish, those who are fans of Mars Volta or ATDI should definitely check this album out.