Omar Rodriguez-Lopez: Old Money (Stones Throw)
Mastermind guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez issues another solo album between releases from The Mars Volta, but this one was hinted to be (and sounds like) the material that was originally intended for The Bedlam in Goliath.
The result is something very different from the ambient, noisy, experimental pieces that often show up on his solo releases. Old Money is accessible and centered on rock, sounding spacey, funky, progressive, psychedelic, a little jazzy, and a little Latin.
Though instrumental, there is an obvious theme on the album that pertains to massively rich international figures and industrialists from the last three centuries. Song titles such as "How to Bill the Bilderberg Group" and "Family War Funding (Love Those Rothschilds)" take a swipe at ridiculous wealth and the undue influence that it brings.
Jamie Saft: Black Shabbis (Tzadik)
Returning to his metal roots, multi-instrumentalist and dub maestro Jamie Saft concocts a disc full of heavy Jewish tunes. Likely best known for his studio contributions for Bad Brains and the Beastie Boys, Saft recently released an acoustic jazz trio CD with John Zorn and wrote the theme to Murderball, a documentary about paraplegics who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs.
Saft also recently recorded an effects-laden tribute to Merzbow (titled Merzdub), and those types of sounds show up in spots on Black Shabbis. This album also mixes a touch of Ennio Morricone-inspired guitar into a pot of Pantera-fueled riffs, death-metal growls, über doom, and otherworldly organ.
Diagonal: s/t (Rise Above)
Hailing from Brighton, this UK septet dishes out 1970s-style progressive rock with touches of jazz and garage rock. Organs, piano, synths, woodwinds, and classic-rock vocals augment elongated jams, creating multifaceted rock-outs.
If you didn't know any better, you might think that the group's press photos (and recordings) were 30-40 years old. If you've searched for modern takes on the era of Mahavishnu Orchestra and King Crimson, pick this up.
Diagonal: "Cannon Misfire"
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Ephel Duath: Through My Dog's Eyes (Earache)
After more than a year of waiting, Italian prog-metal outfit Ephel Duath finally releases its follow-up to Pain Necessary to Know. Always centered on the skilled fretwork of guitarist Davide Tiso, the band recorded much of Through My Dog's Eyes with a guitar/drums/vocals arrangement, and now even long-time vocalist Luciano Lorusso George has left the group for financial reasons.
Tiso's meandering, alternately high-pitched and down-tuned riffs have always been a musical highlight for Ephel Duath. Given its current configuration, they may have to continue carrying the band unless it expands its instrumentation once more (á la the jazz-influenced 2003 album The Painter's Palette).
Cotton Jones: Paranoid Cocoon (Suicide Squeeze)
Paranoid Cocoon is a breezy folk-pop recording from former Page France frontman Michael Nau. The casual tone and lightly dancable groove make us long for lazy summer days, which, in Janauary in Chicago, never seemed so far away.
Cotton Jones: "Blood Red Sentimental Blues"
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