A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume One, the solo debut from The Mars Volta

The Mars Volta

The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...

 guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez

Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...

, was recorded in 2001 after the breakup of former band At the Drive-In

At the Drive-In

At the Drive-In was an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, considered part of the post-hardcore genre and active from 1993 to 2001. They were known for their extremely energetic stage shows which hearkened back to the 1980s hardcore scene...

and released in 2004. A Manual Dexterity is the first of a two part soundtrack

Soundtrack

A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...

 set to go along to a film directed by Rodriguez-Lopez. Omar's father was also featured on the album doing the vocal tracks on Deus Ex Machina.

The release of Soundtrack Volume Two, which was originally planned for Spring of 2005, and the film were both delayed indefinitely due to legal problems. Conflicts over ownership of certain footage and Rodríguez-López's reluctance to revisit the project, which featured his late friend Jeremy Michael Ward

Jeremy Michael Ward

Jeremy Michael Ward was the sound technician and vocal operator for The Mars Volta and for the dub outfit De Facto. He created many of the soundscapes heard on The Mars Volta's album De-Loused in the Comatorium...

 in the lead role, were both cited as reasons for the delay.. However, Rodríguez-López stated that he does intend to release both Volume Two and the film at some point in the future.

Track listing

1. "Around Knuckle White Tile" – 7:16
2. "Dyna Sark Arches" – 4:38
3. "Here the Tame Go By" – 5:11
4. "Deus Ex Machina" – 5:03
5. "Dramatic Theme" – 7:16
6. "A Dressing Failure" – 2:54
7. "Sensory Decay Part II" – 6:04
8. "Of Blood Blue Blisters" – 4:53
9. "Dream Sequence" – 6:11
10. "The Palpitations Form a Limit" – 3:22

Personnel

• Omar Rodríguez-López
  Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
  Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
  
   – Guitars, Bass, Percussion, Hand claps, Rolands VP 330, SH 1000, SH 101, SH 7, SH 2000, Korg MS 2000, Microkorg, Organ, Drum machines, Promars, Pianette, Piano, Yamaha QY 100, Rhythm sequence, Samples, TVs, Telephone, Typewriter, Breathing
• Blake Fleming
  Blake Fleming
  Blake Fleming is a drummer known for his involvement with several influential experimental bands. Fleming started drumming at age 8, and spent several years in fife and drumming corps, bagpipe bands, jazz bands, orchestras, etc. His first band was Dazzling Killmen, which he joined at age 15. Later...
  
   – Drums (1, 2, 5, 8, 10), Hand claps (2)
• Jeremy Michael Ward
  Jeremy Michael Ward
  Jeremy Michael Ward was the sound technician and vocal operator for The Mars Volta and for the dub outfit De Facto. He created many of the soundscapes heard on The Mars Volta's album De-Loused in the Comatorium...
  
   – Melodica (2), Guitar pedals (5), Yelling (8)
• John Frusciante
  John Frusciante
  John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
  
   – Mini moog (2, 3), A 100 (3), Guitars (5, 10)
• Cedric Bixler-Zavala
  Cedric Bixler-Zavala
  Cedric Bixler-Zavala is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American musician known for his work as frontman and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta, and previously as frontman and occasional guitarist of the post-hardcore punk group At the Drive-In...
  
   – Percussion & Hand claps (2), Vocals & Lyrics (10)
• Angel Marcelo Rodriguez – Vocals & Lyrics (4)
• David Lopez – Trumpet (4)
• Cecilio Ortiz – Guitar (4)
• Alberto El Professor Aragonez – Percussion (4)
• Isaiah Ikey Owens
  Isaiah Ikey Owens
  Isaiah Randolph "Ikey" Owens is an American keyboardist known for his work with The Mars Volta and an array of other bands from the Long Beach music scene.-Biography:...
  
   – Piano (8)
• Andrew Sheps – Trumpet (8)
• Sara Christina Gross – Saxophone (9)

Trivia

• "Manual Dexterity" was also the name of a song that appeared on Omar's former band De Facto's
  De Facto (band)
  De Facto was a dub reggae band which included Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodríguez-López, Isaiah "Ikey" Owens and Jeremy Michael Ward.- Biography :...
  
   second album "Megaton Shotblast!
  Megaton Shotblast
  ¡Megaton Shotblast! is the debut album by De Facto. Largely instrumental, the album pulls influence from various genres, including electronica, dub, reggae, and jazz.-Track listing:#"Manual Dexterity" – 2:21#"Cordova" – 10:17...
  
  "