ZECHS MARQUISE – Getting Paid

In the Rodriguez-Lopez family, musical talent is a strong and vibrant trait. Zechs Marquise’s Malfred and Marcel Rodriquez-Lopez are the younger brothers of The Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. It appears that the influence of their older brother’s work with Cedric Bixler-Zavala and The Mars Volta have had a large affect on their own musical aspirations and style, especially considering the 12 tracks contained in the group’s latest album Getting Paid.
 
As someone who’s witnessed a live show featuring Zechs Marquise, I can fully attest to the fact that this album is an honest representation of what you will hear if you see them live in concert. The mix of funky baselines and progressive guitar work that fills the opening track “Getting Paid” really sets the stage for an album that will likely please those who dig intricate instrumentation and electronically manipulated sounds. Getting Paid is mainly an instrumental album, as the first vocals appear nearly 15 minutes into the album, during the third track “Static Lovers.” In an almost haunting performance, guest vocalist Sonny Baker lender her vocals to the track “The Heat, The Drougt, The Thirst, and Insanity,” and RX Bandits vocalist Matt Embree lends his vocals to the song “Everlasting Beacon of Light.”

Getting Paid comes across sounding a lot like The Mars Volta, or at least like the instrumentation and far out progressive sounds as featured on albums like Frances The Mute. While the influence of their older brother’s work comes thought from Malfred and Marcel, they’ve managed to put out an album that impresses and remains fresh through all 12 cuts.

(Rodriguez-Lopez Productions, no address provided)

SOUND & SHAPE – The Love Electric

Mixing the spasmodic sounds of The Mars Volta and the tranquil interludes of Pink Floyd, Sound & Shape give us their unique brand of prog rock with The Love Electric, a five-song EP marking their second release to date.

The title track starts off the album with hectic guitar passages backed up by harmonious vocals. These harmonies carry throughout the album in several tracks, which provide some relief from the musical chaos that drive this album in a great direction. There’s something about Ryan Caudle’s vocals that reminds me Elvis Costello – but what took me by surprise was the unexpected use of saxophone by guest musician Jim Horn (who has worked with Steely Dan and Frank Sinatra) during “And We Begin As Two.”

This album has a level of unpredictability that definitely held my attention until the very end. The musical ability here is on point, especially the dynamic drumming of Jerry Pentecost during the last track, “The Solitary Journey.” I only hope these guys grow more and more experienced with each album they put out. What’s a shame is that odds are most progressive rock fans have no idea this band exists. Perhaps this album will open some ears and change that.

(Engineer Records, 210 William Street, Boonton, NJ 07005)