![Omar Rodriguez Lopez|A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Vol. One Omar Rodriguez Lopez|A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Vol. One](https://static.qobuz.com/images/covers/ac/3o/t5oattx2k3oac_600.jpg)
Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
The first solo project from Omar Rodriguez Lopez (At the Drive-In, the Mars Volta, etc.) sounds at first like random scraps and half-finished doodles. The project's status as half of the soundtrack of an uncompleted film, recorded over the space of nearly three full years, would seem to support this reading, and admittedly, there are passages of this album, such as the elongated near-ambient intros of several songs, that fit that description. A closer listening to the album reveals that although it has its missteps and derivative aspects -- as both a guitarist and an arranger, Rodriguez Lopez seems to have a serious Frank Zappa fetish -- overall, A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume 1 is interesting enough to be at least guardedly recommended. An almost entirely instrumental album (the closing "The Palpitations Form a Limit," with lyrics and vocals by longtime partner Cedric Bixler Zavala, is as close as the album ever comes to traditional rock & roll, although the rather brilliant "Deus Ex Machina" features Spanish-language vocals over a salsa-rock fusion track), it skips blithely from sheets of fuzzy white noise ("Sensory Decay Part II") to layers of overdubbed guitar squalls ("Dramatic Theme") to skewed jazz-funk instrumentals that sound like early Brian Eno mixed with late David Byrne ("Dyna Sark Arches"), at times within the same song. Occasionally aggravating but more often intriguing, A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume 1 is a mostly enjoyable listen, as long as you're not expecting another At the Drive-In or Mars Volta release.
© Stewart Mason /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $17.49/month
![](https://static.qobuz.com/images/covers/ac/3o/t5oattx2k3oac_230.jpg)
Omar Rodriguez-López, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist
© 2021 Clouds Hill ℗ 2021 Clouds Hill
Omar Rodriguez-López, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist
© 2021 Clouds Hill ℗ 2021 Clouds Hill
Omar Rodriguez-López, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist
© 2021 Clouds Hill ℗ 2021 Clouds Hill
Omar Rodriguez-López, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist
© 2021 Clouds Hill ℗ 2021 Clouds Hill
Omar Rodriguez-López, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist
© 2021 Clouds Hill ℗ 2021 Clouds Hill
Omar Rodriguez-López, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist
© 2021 Clouds Hill ℗ 2021 Clouds Hill
Omar Rodriguez-López, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist
© 2021 Clouds Hill ℗ 2021 Clouds Hill
Omar Rodriguez-López, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist
© 2021 Clouds Hill ℗ 2021 Clouds Hill
Omar Rodriguez-López, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist
© 2021 Clouds Hill ℗ 2021 Clouds Hill
Omar Rodriguez-López, Composer, Author, Producer, MainArtist
© 2021 Clouds Hill ℗ 2021 Clouds Hill
Album review
The first solo project from Omar Rodriguez Lopez (At the Drive-In, the Mars Volta, etc.) sounds at first like random scraps and half-finished doodles. The project's status as half of the soundtrack of an uncompleted film, recorded over the space of nearly three full years, would seem to support this reading, and admittedly, there are passages of this album, such as the elongated near-ambient intros of several songs, that fit that description. A closer listening to the album reveals that although it has its missteps and derivative aspects -- as both a guitarist and an arranger, Rodriguez Lopez seems to have a serious Frank Zappa fetish -- overall, A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume 1 is interesting enough to be at least guardedly recommended. An almost entirely instrumental album (the closing "The Palpitations Form a Limit," with lyrics and vocals by longtime partner Cedric Bixler Zavala, is as close as the album ever comes to traditional rock & roll, although the rather brilliant "Deus Ex Machina" features Spanish-language vocals over a salsa-rock fusion track), it skips blithely from sheets of fuzzy white noise ("Sensory Decay Part II") to layers of overdubbed guitar squalls ("Dramatic Theme") to skewed jazz-funk instrumentals that sound like early Brian Eno mixed with late David Byrne ("Dyna Sark Arches"), at times within the same song. Occasionally aggravating but more often intriguing, A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume 1 is a mostly enjoyable listen, as long as you're not expecting another At the Drive-In or Mars Volta release.
© Stewart Mason /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:52:48
- Main artists: Omar Rodriguez Lopez
- Composer: Omar Rodriguez Lopez
- Label: Clouds Hill
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
© 2021 Clouds Hill ℗ 2021 Clouds Hill
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.