Omar Rodriguez-Lopez- Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo

My first exposure to Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s solo work came about a few months ago as I was researching about John Frusicante and his collaborators. I was intrigued by the experimental style of music that Lopez records, and went to my local record store (Tunes in Hoboken, NJ) and picked up Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo. As a fan of his previous band At The Drive In, I knew the album was going to be an experience...what kind I did not know. Fortunately, the experience was nothing but positive and the music took me on a trip as I listened to it alone in the dark in my room with my eyes closed. There are some albums that are meant to be heard in their entirety, and this is one of them. This is due mostly to the fact that the songs flow into one another and to hear one random cut doesn’t make sense a lot of the time.

The album starts with a 26 second song entitled The Lukewarm, which is basically a bunch of ambient sounds that gets you ready for the album, and it leads into Luxury of Infancy, a solo guitar piece that is just fun to listen to. It is far too short though, at just over a minute, but combined with the opening set of sounds, is a pretty good start to the record. There are very few traditional songs, if you describe a song as a vocalist with a backing band. Those songs are a breath of fresh air while the instrumentals seem to blend into one another after a while. That was probably done intentionally as the album really is an experience from beginning to end.

Along for the ride with Rodriguez-Lopez, is Mars Volta band mate/singer Cedric Bixler Zavala, who provides the vocals/lyrics to the record. His unique voice brings so much to the music on Se Dice… just as his cadence has on many At The Drive In/Mars Volta albums. He is one of the top lyricists in rock today, and his presence on the album is vital. Also making an appearance is the aforementioned Frusicante who contributes guitars to the track If Gravity Lulls, I Can Hear The World Pant. It’s not the most accessible album to those who are looking for a typical rock record. It is however, a record that shows off Rodriguez-Lopez’s talent as a guitar player and producer.

In terms of negatives on the album, there really aren’t that many. As mentioned, it’s not the easiest album to listen to if you don’t like progressive rock or music with many mood shifts. That fact alone makes it hard to recommend to the average listener. You really have to have an open mind to enjoy this record. It’s a great listen for the most part, it just gets really “busy” at times and the ambient sounds mentioned may throw off people who don’t expect it. Still, Se Dice…is a very solid release that was recorded in 2005 but not released until 2007 on his own label Omar-Rodriguez Lopez Productions.

Grade---B+