Review Summary: Omar's attempt at making a "Pop" album.
Love is such a strange thing. And for those of us who have been lucky to experience it, we know all about the jubilating sensation of finding someone, and the fear of ever losing that state of bliss. That person becomes the center of our world, and nothing else matters. Though I find it funny how our personalities change when we're in love. Whether we like it or not, when we find a lover, their personality tends to influence our own. And sometimes we'll even adopt certain aspects of their personality, and if they have a significant impact on us, those aspects will remain with us even if the relationship inevitably ends.
Ever since Omar begun collaborating with his girlfriend, Ximena Sariñana, we have been seeing him under a new light. She definitely brings out a different side to him, one we had never seen before. His albums have begun to display a certain sensitivity, a feminine touch. Omar's music has usually had a dense layer of sounds from instruments that created an atmosphere of ambient chaos all around, but lately, we've been seeing a lot of restrain from his usual style, almost a complete diversion from all of his past tendencies. Because Omar is the more marquee name, one would think that his Progressive musical approach would influence Ximena's soulful pop music, but in fact it's been the very opposite. And though these albums are released under Omar's name, we have actually begun to see Ximena's influence becoming more evident with each release. For example,
Xenopahnes displayed Omar's usual agenda of frantic Psychedelia, but even then we can see that the songs are arranged in a more traditional structure rather than his usual lengthy voyages of musical improvisation.
Then of course we have;
Solar Gambling and
Ciencia de los Inútiles, which exhibit a significant absence of the barrage of psychedelic effects that often dominated Omar's music. The compositions in these albums were much more instant and less experimental. And now here it is, Omar and Ximena's 5th studio collaboration,
Cizaña De Los Amores. Her Pop-inspired influence is as evident as ever on this album. The album opens with
"Soledad y Silencio", it's vocals are performed by Lisa Papineau, but Ximena's presence is felt right away. It's a gentle piano ballad, which is a typical musical approach that could be found in Ximena's own albums. The song does display touches of psychedelic ambience for decoration, but they're very subtle.
The musical structure of Cizaña De Los Amores is very reminiscent of the Adult-contemporary style of Ximena's debut album,
Mediocre. Though of course Omar does contribute his usual touch of Psychedelic Rock, this album is a rather gentle one for the most part.
"No Hay Más Respuestas" and
"Victimas Del Cielo" represent the more aggressive side of the album, but even they have a certain delicacy. These two compositions actually reflect a balanced synergy within Omar and Ximena's musical coalescence. There is an equal balance of Omar's Psychedelia and Ximena's Pop-style in these songs, which result in an interesting sound. The intimacy of romance can be found all throughout the lyrical content, and the theme of unity is also reflected by the fused influences of it's two leaders.
"Corazón" and
"De Piedra" display an overabundance of Psychedelia within their sound, but Ximena directs them like a pop song with her vocal deliveries. The tracks display an ethereal atmosphere, so gentle and warm like the experience of a dream, or the euphoric sensation of being in the arms of a loved one.
Omar's new restrained approach has been received to mixed opinions from his fans, and it's not surprising if Cizaña De Los Amores will receive the same response. There are no experimental ventures in this album, and you definitely won't find any moments featuring energetic explosion of intense musicianship. This album projects Omar embracing a more traditional approach, behaving in a normal fashion and not exhibiting orchestrations that present themselves like a supernova of sounds. It's music is much more easier to grasp. To the multitude of Omar's fans who are awaiting a return to the lengthy improvisational odysseys of his earlier releases may find this album as yet another disappointment. But to any admirer of Omar who just wants to listen to anything new, I highly recommend this album as it contains a lot of great moments.
