El Bien y Mal Nos Une
| El Bien y Mal Nos Une | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 23, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2009—2012 | |||
| Genre | Experimental rock, dub, electronica | |||
| Length | 35:51 | |||
| Label | Ipecac Recordings | |||
| Producer | Omar Rodríguez-López | |||
| Omar Rodríguez-López solo chronology | ||||
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| Omar Rodríguez-López chronology | ||||
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El Bien y Mal Nos Une (transl. Good and Evil Unite Us) is the thirty-second studio album by Omar Rodríguez-López as a solo artist, released on 23 September 2016.[1] It is his sixth release in the 12 album series initiated by Ipecac Recordings.[2] The majority of the album features Deantoni Parks on drums with the exception of "Perdido" which is performed by The Mars Volta frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala.
Background
The album was primarily recorded years prior which is presumably why Deantoni Parks performs on the majority it. Furthermore, it features several remixed (and partially re-recorded) versions of songs originally released in 2010 on Un Escorpión Perfumado under different titles: "Acuérdate" (previously "Que Dice Pessoa?"), "Amor Frío" (previously "Incesto O Pasión?"), "Humor Sufi" (previously "Estrangular el Extranjero") and "Yo Soy La Destrucción"/"Planetas Sin Sol" (previously "Mensaje Imputente"/"El Diablo y la Tierra").[3] "Amor Frío" would go on to be released again as a rearranged version on Rodríguez-López's fiftieth studio album, Is It the Clouds?
Clouds Hill, who rereleased the album on vinyl, describes the record thusly: "An alternative version of Omar's records [sic] 'Un Escorpión Perfumado', full of deep thoughts about life and death."[4]
"Un Acto De Fe" was uploaded in advance as the album's single.
Reception
The Quietus was favorable toward the album, describing it as "sinister…altogether darker [than Escorpion]…ruthless…arrives like a nuclear strike…abetting a restlessness and dread that abounds throughout the record…punishes with implied violence."[5][3] The online magazine also praises Parks' drumming on the record.[6] Verbicide, however, describes El Bien y Mal Nos Une as "a collection of catchy choruses wrapped up in funky synths and your not-so-standard sampler sounds."[7] Mxdwn Music was more middling toward the album, mentioning that it might be too unconventional, dissonant, and avant-garde for the average listener, although they do delineate it as thoughtful and intelligent.[8]
Heavy Pop gave El Bien y Mal Nos Une a rating of 6/10, stating that it's "strangely laid-back yet simultaneously enormously hyperactive, constantly switching between calmly marveling at its own synth landscapes and frenetically motivated bounding ahead. It's somewhere like experimental pop for Latin American space stations – incredibly densely woven yet breathing artificial air." Lastly, The Music gave the album a rating of 5/5, who also praises Deantoni Parks' drumming and also the electronic influence.[9]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Omar Rodríguez-López.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Violencia Cotidiana" | 3:41 |
| 2. | "Acuérdate" | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Un Acto De Fe" | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Amor Frío" | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Perdido" | 3:11 |
| 6. | "Humor Sufí" | 5:08 |
| 7. | "La Voz" | 2:35 |
| 8. | "Yo Soy La Destrucción" | 4:55 |
| 9. | "Planetas Sin Sol" | 2:22 |
| 10. | "Estrella Caída" | 1:50 |
| Total length: | 35:51 | |
Personnel
- Omar Rodríguez-López – vocals, guitars, sequences, synths, percussion
- Deantoni Parks – drums
- Marcel Rodríguez-López – keys, percussion
- Teri Gender Bender – backing vocals
- Cedric Bixler-Zavala – drums (track 5)
Production
- Omar Rodríguez-López – producer
- Lars Stalfors – recording
- Jon Debaun – recording
- Shawn Sullivan – recording
- Chris Common – mixing, mastering
- Flo Siller – mastering (vinyl)
- Chris von Rautenkranz – mastering (vinyl)
Artwork
- Adán Guevara – art and layout
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | September 23, 2016 | Ipecac Recordings | Digital download[10] |
| Worldwide | January 19, 2024 | Clouds Hill | Vinyl LP |
References
- ^ Young, Alex (2016-07-07). "Omar Rodríguez-López will release 12 new solo albums before year's end". Consequence. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- ^ "Ipecac Recordings Issue 12 Omar Rodríguez-López Releases".
- ^ a b "Omargeddon #37: El Bien y Mal Nos Une". FreakyTrigger. 2026-02-16. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- ^ "Omar Rodríguez-López - El Bien Y Mal Nos Une - LP". UK/ROW Shop. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- ^ "Omar Rodríguez-López — Releases One Through Six". The Quietus. 2016-11-28. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- ^ "Omar Rodríguez-López — Ipecac 7 – 12". The Quietus. 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- ^ Matthew Schuchman (September 2, 2016). "OMAR RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ – Umbrella Mistress, El Bien y Mal Nos Une, Cell Phone Bikini, and Infinity Drips". Verbicide. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- ^ Bonitatibus, Steve (2016-10-04). "Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - El Bien y Mal Nos Une -". mxdwn Music. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
- ^ Czuchwicki, Jonty (September 23, 2016). "Album Review: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - El Bien Y Mal Nos Une". The Music.
- ^ "El Bien y Mal Nos Une - ORL Projects".