Last year one of our favourite West Coast sound sculpture specialists, Nobody remixed the Mars Volta’s ‘Ouroboros’ taking Mars Voltas’ Emoeques prog rock to areas previously unknown. And on last week’s Mary Ann Hobbs show, whilst she’s all excited about visiting the Low End Theory in LA, we also find out that Paul ‘For You And Me’ White is a “prog rock expert”; so it’s fine to love the guitar again?

Well the man to set the standard is guitarist, producer, composer and arranger, Omar Rodriquez Lopez. So to prove the point, the opener ‘The Power Of Myth’ sets the scene as it’s a 21st century schizoid heavy prog psych trash. Surprisingly, it’s followed by a dub style acid trip with reverse tape vocal that gives ‘How To Bill The Bilderberg Group’ an odd Indo-jazz feel; no doubt the Bilderberg Group are responsible for the current credit crunch?

‘Population Council’s Wet Dream’ returns the guitar vs. drum extended trash instrumental experimentation. At over 6 minutes, there’s room for computer game distractions and serious head-banging riffs with a Man-style ‘Many Are Called, But Few Get Up’ interlude - I wonder where that one came from, anoraks may recall the John Cipollina (of the Quicksilver Messenger Service) joined Man in the mid-70s for their Welsh West Coast ‘tributes’ anthems.

In contrast, ‘Private Fortunes’ has a cinematic Latin groove to it with Santanaeque guitar solo; accessible leftfield.

Come Dine With Me fans will be looking forward to the West Coast celebrity version when Trilateral Commission turn up. With the free sax blasts this is closer to the death-punk jazz of Acoustic Ladyland and if ther’es any James Blood Ulmer fans about - this one is for you. And if you get this, ‘Family War Funding (Love Those Rothschilds)’ is another 100mph charge.

After all this build up, I was getting particularly excited towards getting to the tile track as the timing of 9:19 was teasing me with visions all that had gone before but louder, faster, distorted and defiant. ‘Old Money’ didn’t let me down from its dreamy space synthy intro, Jean Michael Jarre theme, heavy broken drums, a neck busting, efx pedals, plectrum pyrotechnic - you know, all the good stuff but the lack of cliché climax is/was disappointing.

I couldn’t tell you why this is Old Money, the titles are fit for the old financial behemoths more than the current bunch of global debt swapping crook ‘ankers but as an instrumental album, it’s great prog-guitar with more than enough jazz leanings for me; the fact that Peanut Butter Wolf is releasing it on Stones Throw is enough of a recommendation in itself!

Final thought for PBW, what about Nobody, Paul White or James Pants on the remix? Possibly too scary but for Mars Volta fans but well worth getting out last years’ The Bedlam In Goliath

[P.S. best Mars Volta track ever - Drunkship of Lanterns].

Reviewed: Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Old Money (Stones Throw) Cat. No. STH2202 Release date: 26th January 2009
1. The Power Of Myth (5:29)
2. How To Bill The Bilderberg Group (3:28)
3. Population Council’s Wet Dream (6:18)
4. Private Fortunes (4:13)
5. Trilateral Commission As Dinner Guests (4:52)
6. 1921 (1:36)
7. Family War Funding (Love Those Rothschilds) (3:55)
8. Vipers In The Bosom (1:50)
9. I Like Rockefellers’ First Two Albums, But After That… (4:32)
10. Old Money (9:19)

Links:
www.stonesthrow.com/omar
www.themarsvolta.com
www.myspace.com/ jamesbloodulmer
www.myspace.com/themarsvolta
www.manband.co.uk
www.trilateral.org
http://maryannehobbs.blogspot.com/2009/01/paul-white-vs-floating-points.html