The Mars Volta Thread (the band has un-broken up)

[WebRaider]

The four-song run with Drunkship of Lanterns, Eriatarka, Cicatriz ESP and This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed is incredible. The whole album is pretty much perfect, but those four tracks in a row is just the best. I'm really loving what I'm hearing. I'll probably move onto Frances this upcoming week, since I've spun De-Loused at least 6-7 times by now.

  That album is so amazing Zan! I'm glad you're digging it. I think you'll really like the rest of their material as well.

[Xanthul]

This band is kind of a mixed bag for me.

- Deloused: Top 10 album ever.
- Frances: pretty good but the noise interludes can get kinda boring. The final songs aren't as interesting as the first three either.
- Octahedron: simpler and more stripped down, though certainly blander too. I just enjoy it.
-----
- Amputechture & Bedlam: could never get into them, too convoluted for my liking.
- Noctourniquet: never listened to it, don't know if I'd like it.

[Zantera]

I'm not even done with my first listen of Frances, but holy shit this is wonderful. The first "half" was great, but Cassandra Gemini is the real gem so far.

[The King in Crimson]

Whatever warts or problems it may have, I fucking love Frances. De-Loused is probably more consistent but there's just something magical about Frances.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Amputechture is still my favourite. Maybe just because it was the first I listened to but I love it a ton.

[Zantera]

Whatever warts or problems it may have, I fucking love Frances. De-Loused is probably more consistent but there's just something magical about Frances.

I hear ya. Picking a favorite feels tough. On one hand, De-Loused might be consistent, because overall, that album needs no trimming. It's pretty much perfect. Frances on the other hand could use some trimming. The ambient/interlude sections take up some space on the album and I both like them for what they bring (some space and time to breathe) but they can also get a bit drawn out. However, despite this minor flaw (if you wanna call it that), Frances is such a journey and just takes you on a ride. I would say Cassandra Gemini is their best work, and it takes up 32 minutes of the album. The songs on the first half of the album are really great too, but the only minor "flaw" would be the filler stuff. Still, everything about the album is just wonderful.

[Zantera]

I know I'm still very new to this band but they just keep blowing me away. Cassandra Gemini is already a personal favorite, and I see it becoming one of my all time favorite progressive rock songs really. The band is just on fire. I'm struggling to think about a single progressive rock song that has blown me away this much in the last 5 years. I love how it just builds and escalates during the first 3-4 parts, goes into experimental instrumental mode for the middle and comes back with the "anthemic" chorus towards the end.

I know some people consider Frances to have some filler (and I agree to a certain extent), but it's kinda amazing how the 32 minute song has none of that. Every minute, every second is pure gold.

[Zantera]

So I'm listening to Amputechture and I can see why this is such a polarizing album. I read a review where they said "the band is testing the listener" and I can totally see that. On one hand, I almost want to turn it off, not because it's bad, but because it's pretty challenging and unlike the first two albums, not a lot of stuff that clicks instantly. However, I have a feeling that if I endure and stay with this album through 4-5 listens, I will be rewarded for it. It's The Mars Volta after all. I see this is as the kind of album you might really like after several listens, but after one listen it feels more scattered, more crazy and not as focused.

How is Bedlam in comparison? Is it more restrained or does it follow in the Amputechture style?

[SoundscapeMN]

Bedlam the songs are more tight, shorter, more to the point,concise. However, the mixing and mastering is god awful, which makes it an unlistenable record to me.

But then again, Amp is filled with a ton of extensive repetitive sections which I and many others consider filler anyway.

If you like Deloused and Frances, I would go straight to their last album Noctourniquet and the Tremulant EP instead.

Even the stripped down/heavily acoustic Octahedron I prefer over both Amp and Bedlam. Although at least Amp does have a song like Viscera Eyes which works. But most of the record meanders for far too long without the huge climaxes that Frances has, which is why it doesn't compare to those 1st 2 LPs.

But then again, you enjoy an album like The Great Misdirect, which I find is guilty of the same thing (although I also find that album is rehashing ideas and trying too hard to sound like another band, being DT).

[Lolzeez]

Bedlam the songs are more tight, shorter, more to the point,concise. However, the mixing and mastering god awful, which makes it an unlistenable record to me.

Oh man I agree. I just can not listen through that record.

[Zantera]

I usually don't have any problems with mastering/mixing when it comes to albums, so I'm interested in how I will see/hear Bedlam.

[fibreoptix]

I absolutely loved Amputechture from day 1. Second favourite Volta album after Frances. Vicarious Atonement might by one of my top rated album openers ever.

Something about it, I don't know. The repetitive sections never get even slightly old for me.

[Zantera]

I decided to listen to Ampetechture a second time for the day, to see if a second listen to quickly after the first made any bigger impact, and it did. "Viscera Eyes" already clicked, what a fantastic song. I feel like overall the album was more enjoyable this second time. I think this could grow nicely for me. One thing I'm kinda on the fence with though, is how the album ends. That abrupt ending just comes out of nowhere.

[The King in Crimson]

I love Amputechture but I freely admit that it is The Mars Volta at their most excessive. I don't think the album holds together as well as DeLoused or Frances but it has some fantastic songs, probably some of my favorite Volta songs. "Day of the Baphomets," "Tetragrammatron," "Viscera Eyes," and "Vermicide" all rule.

[Zantera]

I've listened to Bedlam in Goliath probably 4 or 5 times now and I don't see the criticism for it. To me it sounds fine. I mean, not like it sounds as amazing as De-Loused or Frances, but not bad enough to stop me from getting through the album. If you guys hadn't pointed out the mixing/mastering, I probably wouldn't have noticed anything to be honest. As far as the album goes, I'm willing to say I like this more than Amputechture. Not that Amputechture is bad, but this feels stylistically closer to Frances/De-Loused and has maybe a little bit more variety.

[pain of occupation]

Bedlam's actually the only album of theirs I've been able to get into. the second half is too fucked up (and not exactly in a good way), but the first half of that album is spectacular.
it's the first album of theirs I ever checked out, and nothing else has ever lived up to the potential I saw in Bedlam. :-(

with the new Closure In Moscow, I finally found what I was looking for, not only when I first checked into TMV 6 years ago, but really all my life.
and since there's no CIM thread, I guess this is the most logical place to discuss them.
"just create a CIM thread, idiot"
you'd think that would be an option, but i'm only allowed to stat new threads every 1000th post. I know, its fucked.

[Zantera]

You didn't get into Frances or De-Loused? I can see why people might struggle with Amputechture. It feels less chaotic than the others and more restrained, and despite having some long song that are very random, the pacing is kinda weird. I like the album though, but it's kinda challenging to get into. De-Loused and Frances are both pretty easy to get into IMO. Bedlam is taking some time for me, but I like it more with each listen. I really love the second half of it actually, and Ourobors/Soothsayer might be my favorite two songs in a row on the album.

[PuffyPat]

DISCLAIMER: I'm an idiot, and these are just my opinions.

Bedlam is by far my favorite. De-loused is their best. Amputechture is creeping up the list. Noctourniquet disappointed me. Octahedron is underrated. Frances is overrated.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Haven't heard a lot from them but I do have their albums. I very much like Bedlam.

[Zantera]

DISCLAIMER: I'm an idiot, and these are just my opinions.

Bedlam is by far my favorite. De-loused is their best. Amputechture is creeping up the list. Noctourniquet disappointed me. Octahedron is underrated. Frances is overrated.

So far I would probably rank the albums like this:

Frances the Mute
De-Loused in the Comatorium
The Bedlam in Goliath
Amputechture

But I really do like all of them. I have Frances and De-Loused as 5 out of 5, Bedlam will probably be a 4.5 (just need a few more spins) and Amputechture is a 4 out of 5 for me so far. Even if Octahedron and Noctourniquet are disappointments, they still have a strong discography.

[Lolzeez]

De-Loused In The Comatorium

Amputechture (I find this one really underrated,I mean come on guys the highlights on this are the band at their best.)



Frances The Mute





Octahedron





The Bedlam In Goliath
Noctourniquet

[Zantera]

I'm curious, what is it about the sound of Bedlam that turns people off?

[SoundscapeMN]

the mix is unlistenable. The cymbals clip constantly, it's like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. One of the hottest "loudness wars" examples out of any album in recent years.

Bedlam was definitely one of the 1st albums I clearly noticed how poor the mixing was, the splash and crash cymbals sound like high-pitch toned tambourines, which is purely based on the compression level of the mixing.

I actually think what they did poorly on AMP, being the songs seemed to be long-winded with a ton of repeated chord progressions and vocal lines, they actually corrected on Bedlam and the songwriting itself may actually be their best from a consistent song-2-song section-2-section basis. But the mixing so unbelievably hot and compressed sounding, namely in the handful of breakdowns with Thomas Pridgen, it totally ruins what would be possibly their best record in many respects.

But I'll repeat what I suggested earlier, check out the TREMULANT EP and then NOCTOURNIQUET which I didn't hear any mixing problems whatsoever, and it has some of Cedric's best vocal choruses.

[Zantera]

Yeah I still have Octahedron, Noctourniquet and Tremulant to check out.

Also, is it just me, or does Cedric's singing get more high pitch/whiny with each album? It doesn't bother me yet, but I feel like on Amputechture, and especially Bedlam he sings more in his highest register than he did on Frances or De-Loused. Those had high pitch/high register singing as well, but maybe not as much. Maybe I'm grasping for straws, but just something I observed.

[PuffyPat]

Octahedron takes awhile to get into, but it's worth it. I HATED it at first, but I absolutely love it now.

[Dark Castle]

Octahedron was the first album from The Mars Volta I ever bought and listened to. Instantly fell in love with it.

[The King in Crimson]

the mix is unlistenable. The cymbals clip constantly, it's like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. One of the hottest "loudness wars" examples out of any album in recent years.

Bedlam was definitely one of the 1st albums I clearly noticed how poor the mixing was, the splash and crash cymbals sound like high-pitch toned tambourines, which is purely based on the compression level of the mixing.

I actually think what they did poorly on AMP, being the songs seemed to be long-winded with a ton of repeated chord progressions and vocal lines, they actually corrected on Bedlam and the songwriting itself may actually be their best from a consistent song-2-song section-2-section basis. But the mixing so unbelievably hot and compressed sounding, namely in the handful of breakdowns with Thomas Pridgen, it totally ruins what would be possibly their best record in many respects.

I agree but I really haven't listened to Bedlam in a long time to properly judge the songs. The mix was bad enough that I just didn't like listening to it much.

But I'll repeat what I suggested earlier, check out the TREMULANT EP and then NOCTOURNIQUET which I didn't hear any mixing problems whatsoever, and it has some of Cedric's best vocal choruses.

Really? Noctourniquet is incredibly hot. The mix is pretty good but it's very, very compressed. I  actually think it kinda works well on some songs, but over the course of a full album, it just leads to a serious case of ear-fatigue. Supposedly there's an unmastered version out there somewhere. I'd love to hear it and see how different/better it sounds.

Octahedron takes awhile to get into, but it's worth it. I HATED it at first, but I absolutely love it now.

Octahedron was the album that made me give TMV a second chance. I couldn't get into them beforehand but Octahedron provided the necessary push that I needed.

[PuffyPat]

Well, it looks like I'm the only one who didn't really like Octahedron at first. I think it was because I was really looking forward to some more crazy Pridgen drums, but he was pretty subdued on the record.

[twosuitsluke]

Bumpiest of bumps.

Interesting news for fans https://consequenceofsound.net/2016/07/omar-rodriguez-lopez-says-the-mars-volta-are-alive-and-well-theres-so-much-to-do-there-as-well/

I'm not a huge Mars Volta fan but I have a couple of their albums and I do enjoy them.

[SebastianPratesi]

Yeah! Interesting news indeed. To me, however, Antemasque was basically new Mars Volta music anyway. I think it's amazing that they recorded their new album with Travis Barker, since he is my favourite drummer, and Blink one of my favourite bands from my teen years (together with the Volta).
That new interview with Omar on RollingStone (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/omar-rodriguez-lopez-on-epic-solo-album-series-new-at-the-drive-in-lp-20160711) is the best interview I've read in a long, long time. Contrary to many interviews from years ago, he seems open and easy-going. And honest. Great interviewer he had, then.

[Train of Naught]

None of the TMV side-projects have ever excited me nearly as much as this band, The Mars Volta is probably one of my favorite bands ever and I'm still trying to fill the void. Don't know whether this news is real or not but I would be beyond pumped to get some new TMV, or even those Omar solo-releases, I feel like he has been the main driving force behind TMV for most of their prime-era, though I'm not sure.

[SebastianPratesi]

None of the TMV side-projects have ever excited me nearly as much as this band, The Mars Volta is probably one of my favorite bands ever and I'm still trying to fill the void. Don't know whether this news is real or not but I would be beyond pumped to get some new TMV, or even those Omar solo-releases, I feel like he has been the main driving force behind TMV for most of their prime-era, though I'm not sure.

Well, he was the one (together with Cedric) giving most interviews, he wrote all the music for every album (and produced everything post-Deloused by himself), he was the one hiring/firing musicians, and the credits in every album post-Frances state that The Mars Volta is him & Cedric. He even directed a few videos. So yeah, he was clearly the main (actually the only) driving force behind the band. Once he formed Bosnian Rainbows in 2012, the whole thing was put on hold.

[Zantera]

I'd love another ATDI or TMV album, but I don't really have much interest for anything else they do outside of that. I liked Antemasque enough, but it wasn't TMV or ATDI-tier of awesomeness.

[PuffyPat]

omar said he wants to do mars volta in the future, but only if eva gardner's and jon theodore's schedules can line up. also, two original members are dead, so idk if this is ever going to happen, but we'll see. never say never.

[SoundscapeMN]

Cedric is now Reba McEntire?

https://twitter.com/cedricbixler_

edit:
Reba probably is laughing at this per
https://twitter.com/reba