OMAR RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ & JOHN FRUSCIANTE

This brief collaboration between Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a drowsy and occasionally interesting affair. The first track, "4:17 am," possesses a pleasant clean backing rhythm, but everything on top of it sounds like it was recorded in my grandma's bathroom. It's experimental guitar producing a variety of sounds, but it is presented more like a wrecked demo. "0=2," on the other hand, while mathematically questionable, involves a finger-picked acoustic guitar with a light electric guitar providing additional themes and variations. "LOE" begins with a guitar swamped in delay and wow and flutter. Other guitars join over electronic percussion. It ends with a repetitive, distorted guitar riff. One of the more interesting compositions, "ZIM" uses multiple guitars fed through a variety of (mostly warbling) effects, but none of that studio alchemy gets in the way of a clear melody, rhythm, and direction. "VTA" is quite a subdued piece, with more synthetic tones and sleepy guitars, which soon disintegrates into a mess of noisy underwater sounds. "0" is a more conventional guitar instrumental, and more similar to the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. "5:45" picks up where the first track left off. I wonder if this duo began recording at 4:17am and finished at 5:45am- a short, almost ninety-minute session of just whatever they came up with. That would explain a lot.