Xenophanes, con Juan, Marcel, Thomas, Ximena Sariñana, Mark Aanderud, 14°lp, 2009

RLP Update - Omar has been in town all this week and today he was at the RLP all day working on a bunch of new artwork with Sonny - we got two new masters from him as well, the first is Xenophanes which I'm super excited about , it is really great - Omar singing and I think you will all be really suprised how awesome this sounds - has all the players from the European tour on it - Album is slated to come out in September 2009

On Xenophanes: Omar, Mark A, Ximena, Marcel, Juan, Thomas

also got a recording of the BBC Session from the European Tour that we will be releasing as a special Vinyl and Digital only release on RLP

seriously I'm sitting here with my mind being blown that this is omar singing - Xenophanes crazy good

forse mi sono espresso poco chiaramente, ma comunque non mi sembra di aver detto di aver assistito di persona.
mi riferivo al desiderio di non sentirla solo da bootleg. claro?
e ribadisco, per me è stupenda.

Wikipedia tells us that Xenophanes was a Greek philosopher, poet, and social and religious critic of the 5th century BC. His pantheistic conception of the Universe supposed that everything in existence has always existed. He rejected his contemporaries' notions of an anthropomorphic "god" (or hierarchy of gods) in favor of a concept not the least bit irrelevant to our 21st century mindset, that of a singular (and hence, all-encompassing) global consciousness. His unorthodox concepts were not widely acknowledged until many hundreds of years after his death, and suffice to say, their material concerns are primarily those which humans wage war over two-and-a-half millennia later. Little surprise, then, that this iconoclastic anomaly of a man should lend his name to a new concept album by THE MARS VOLTA's hyper-prolific mastermind, OMAR RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ.

The inaugural recording from Rodriguez Lopez's low-profile compound in Zapopan, Mexico, Xenophanes is the first album which finds him at the helm vocally and lyrically, as well as musically. Sung entirely in Spanish, Xenophanes showcases a side of Omar rarely seen before, allowing for a much more gestural experience of the man rather than simply the musician, and truly distinguishing this album from its myriad predecessors. Equal parts Volta bombast, El Grupo Nuevo... technicality, and a textural richness unequaled on prior solo releases, Xenophanes is a triumph of imagination and an inspired, concise statement. A conceptual journey through life, death, and re-birth, the album tells the story of a selfish and judgmental female caseworker who falls in love with a male client, only for him to die soon thereafter. Over the course of eleven subsequent lifetimes, the woman experiences life from every conceivable vantage point as her soul evolves, thereby allowing the maturity and eventual letting-go of her ego which in turn enables the realization that the man was, and always has been, her father spirit. Suggesting the fractal and holographic nature of both consciousness and physical reality, the concepts embraced on Xenophanes will appear at least vaguely familiar to anyone with experience in the psychedelic and/or shamanic realms; concepts which Xenophanes himself was likely the first to express within the confines of Western philosophy.


In order to execute the unpredictable, emotionally-charged compositions on Xenophanes, Rodriguez Lopez once again enlists his veteran co-conspirators: bassist Juan Alderete de la Peña, drummer Thomas Pridgen and keyboardist/percussionist Marcel Rodriguez Lopez. Additionally, the album includes contributions from Mark Aanderud (additional keyboards), as well as the notable voice of Ximena Sariñana, doubling and backing Rodriguez Lopez's vocals. As Sariñana's presence on Omar's recordings and during live performances has already been a cause for much speculation, it should be made clear that Xenophanes does not feature the accomplished and versatile singer's own vocal compostions. Subsequent releases (the forthcoming Mary Anne Hobbs BBC Session and Ciencia De Los Inutiles albums, for instance) will fully showcase Sariñana's penchant for infectious melody and engaging lyrics.

Video of a mexican TV program, called in-d; don't know the exact date, but I assume it's from may 18-22:

http://a30.video2.blip.tv/3300001438646/Ind-IndEp181181.mp4

Omar's talking about Xenophanes out in september, like we all know. He recorded the first part of it in New York, while mixing Octahedron, and finished it in Guadalajara, where he lives since november (2008). The line up we know for this album is correct; Mark Aanderud is from México, D.F. -I don't know if that have been posted before-.
He also said that he made an album with Ximena and other guy named Aaron Cruz (basist from D.F.) like in february. This album is totally acoustic; it is a Trío, with an acoustic guitar, contrabass and Ximena on vocals. "It was fun making this album, because Ximena wrote all the lyrics and melodies; I only had to make the music and produce." They made this album in two days. There's not a release date for this album.
He mentions that since they came to the Vive Latino -I think he meant Coca-Cola Zero Fest- in april (2008), he loves Guadalajara, and say to Cedric: "hey, I'm gonna live here one day, so tell me if you like the place, 'cause you will have to come here very often so we can work together." Cedric comes every week to visit him.
For him, there's no much differences between Mars Volta albums and his solo projects, like Xenophanes; only that he sings instead of Cedric.



And, there is this interview on a program, called "Buenos Días, Santa Fe", Ibero 90.9 FM:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mxnm45mmjmk

After he mention how Xenophanes was made -you can clearly hear him and the interviewer say zenoPHAnes several times, for those who want to know how to say it-, Omar choose a song from the album to be played, and we can hear in the background "Mundo de Ciegos". (It sounds good.)
Omar explains why he named the album "Xenophanes": "Xenophanes is a crater on the moon, and is connected with another crater called Volta. Also, Xenophanes was a greek philosopher, who said that men will never reach the truth, because it has too many faces." He liked the word even before knowing its meaning.
Again, he tell us Octahedron is named like that because they liked the name very much, and then they found the coincidences between number 8 and the band (8 years of been The Mars Volta, 8 members, 8 tracks on Octahedron).
He has no social life at all, by the way; that's why he's always creating music. He don't care about fans opinions. When he was a child, he lived in Puebla, México, with his family, while his father was studying medicine.
Finally, he recommend some movies, and choose another song to be played, "track number 5, please", he says. I can't really hear the name, and I don't know the song, but I liked it a lot.

Well, something like that. Just hear/watch the interviews. Viva México.



Links found on http://rockydesmadre.blogspot.com/

It has been brutally apparent that The Mars Volta’s albums are complex beyond the surface of textured, lengthy sonic mutations. Partly responsible for this depth of character, Omar Rodríguez-López has yet again trekked off to solo work (the fourth time this year!) with the onset of Xenophanes, a release of entirely Spanish-spoken lyrics with a very layered storyline. Hot off the heels of The Mars Volta’s highly praised Octahedron, Lopez is said to now have embarked on a journey of rebirth and sophomoric souls, reports Jambase:

A conceptual journey through life, death, and re-birth, the album tells the story of a selfish and judgmental female caseworker who falls in love with a male client, only for him to die soon thereafter. Over the course of eleven subsequent lifetimes, the woman experiences life from every conceivable vantage point as her soul evolves, thereby allowing the maturity and eventual letting-go of her ego which in turn enables the realization that the man was, and always has been, her father spirit.

You have heard me speak multiple times on the topic of concept albums and their current supersaturation of the market. Though in most instances one would see this as part of said trend, I find it merely a continuation of Lopez’s strict adherence to storytelling, a clear example being the man’s work with his primary band. This is his calling and unlike some who try to exploit the concept album (I’m looking at you, My Chemical Romance), Lopez and company regularly use it as a sincere plot device.

With the upcoming Xenophanes in September, there shall be much rejoicing as those who do not speak Spanish can still enjoy the eclectic sheen that is Omar Rodriguez-Lopez.

Omar Rodriguez Lopez European Tour BBC1 Sessions going live soon at http://omarrodriguezlopez.bandcamp.com... Full Resolution Files