Another Week Another Vinyl: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez: Xenophanes

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - unquestionably the hardest working man in music released a total of six albums in 2009 - seven if you want to include a live album. Xenophanes was the second to last album to close out the decade with Solar Gambling being the final. Until just around a week ago, I had assumed that Xenophanes was the final release from Omar this past year, but everytime I check his online store I see a new album. Even as a pretty big Omar fan I can't keep up, and for that matter, either can my wallet!

Xenophanes is what you would expect from the dexterous guitarist best known from The Mars Volta. It's loud and in your face, but what separates this from the majority of his work is he takes center stage on vocals and Cedric Bixler Zavala is completely absent. The lyrics are Spanish from beginning to end, stepping away from the usual Spanish/English hybrid which may be a turn off for some, but Omar's music is all about the instrumental play and the lyrics are just an odd desert. Cedric's vocals are missed, but musically Xenophanes holds up very well even without his uncharacteristic falsetto vocals.

Focusing on the vinyl. The artwork on the cover is bright, bizzare and interstingly cluttered. Inside comes two stickers, a vinyl casing including the lyrics, a free MP3 download, and last but certainly not lease a wickedly awesome pink record. I'm not one of those guys that adheres to the school of thought that "Real men where pink" but it definitely looks pretty awesome on my turntable.