OMAR RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ & JEREMY MICHAEL WARD

Every time I buy an Omar record I expect it to be weird and far out there. To me it comes with the territory. He and Cedric left At the Drive-in because they wanted to push the boundaries of music and become more progressive. Omar plays a key part in what makes the Mars Volta that weird, compelling, experimental rock band that challenges the listener in every way. So when unleashed on his own; you expect him to push the boundaries even further. Most of the Omar records I have had the pleasure of listening to, although showing that creative spark, are incredibly listenable and yet still hold the challenge that makes Mars Volta records so gripping. Well, that was until I heard this CD...

The album was recorded back in 2001 after the demise of At the Drive- in and before the birth of The Mars Volta. If I was to pigeon hole this album I would put it in the EDL category, which stands for 'Extremely Difficult Listening'. It is without doubt one of the worst CD's in my collection. To give you an idea of what it sounds like, think of the buzzing noises you get when trying to tune in a radio and the variation of sounds you get when you nearly pick up a channel. Now try listening to this sound pretty much continuously for 44 minutes. Well that is pretty much sums up this whole album. In the third track 'Salvo' in around the 13 minute mark it is like they finally found a station when the word 'Weapons' is heard followed by further murmurs before moving back to the irritating buzzing.

This album really is a test of strength. Anyone who has listened to this album more than 10 times (I'm on my third listen) I would really like to hear what they hear in the album that I'm missing. How this record was split into tracks and the reason behind track selection I think only Omar knows. If you're not looking at your CD player you wouldn't know the first track 'Sounder of Tame Swine' lasts 2 minutes and 43 seconds while the third track 'Salvo' lasts 14 minutes and 18 seconds. Then there is the task of trying to work out what the track names mean and how they relate to the tracks. It just seems impossible.

There are two tracks on the album which stand out head and shoulders above the rest; the fouth track 'Impoverished Beliefs' and similarly titled ninth track 'Improvised Beliefs'. These tracks showed signs of sanity within the record with a sign of tune until the noises come back and the awkward listening is apparent once again.

Overall this album shows that there are no boundaries to Omar's creativity and imagination. I hold up my hands to him for trying to push the limits with this record. As much as I don't like it, I can appreciate that Omar does like to push the boundaries of his music further and takes more of a risk in doing so. In turn it means that people may not understand what or why he made this album and then released it to a wider audience when it was originally just for family or friends. But at the same time if there is one person out there who does think it is a good record, maybe it was worthwhile releasing it. For me though it is a step too far and should be avoided and I would strongly recommend saving your ears for his more recent stuff.