Sputnik Music Forums - (Progressive rock) The Mars Volta

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- - (Progressive rock) The Mars Volta - De-loused in the Comatorium (http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128081)

I just got this album this morning for Christmas, and I must say it's easily one of the best I've heard lately. The way the Mars Volta can merge addictive vocal melodies and complex, engaging rhythm work so smoothly, and keep up a brilliant and somewhat confusing lyrical concept throughout an hour-long album is a testament to their genius.

This one's gonna stay in my stereo for a very long while.

5/5

Amen to that Maveryck. I finally took it out because I got some new albums for X-mas, but I actually wasn't tired of it yet. I guess I'll put it in later if and when I get tired of my new picks (80s Metallica and Maiden, you decide).

(Experimental Hardcore) (Concept album) Mars Volta - De-loused in the Comatorium

[B]Album: [/B] Mars Volta: De-Loused in the Comatorium

[B]Genre: [/B] Too hard to describe.

[B]Tracklisting:[/B]

1. Son Et Lumiere
2. Inertiatic Esp
3. Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)
4. Tira Me A Las Aranas
5. Drunkship Of Lanterns
6. Eriatarka
7. Cicatriz Esp
8. The Apparatus Must Be Unearthed
9. Televators
10. Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt

[B]The Band:[/B]

Omar a Rodriguez-Lopez (Guitar)
Cedric Bixler Zavala (Vocals)
Jon Theodore (Drums)
Jeremy Michael Ward (Sound manipulation/Keyboards) (Now deceased)
Flea (Bass)
Ikey Isaiah Owens (Keyboards)

Guest spots by:
Jon Frusciante (Guitar on Cicatriz ESP)
Lenny Castro (Percussion)
Justin Mendel Johnson (Stand-up bass on Televators)
Rick Rubin (Producer)

[B]Overview:[/B]

De-Loused is an hour-long concept album which takes you through the journey of a man's drug overdose-induced coma and the hallucinations he experienced.

[B]The music:[/B]

As MV said themselves, 'we're a rock band who wants to be a salsa band'. Clearly showing their Mexican heritage in this album, a few select tracks have a distinct driving Latin beat while maintaining the hardcore elements that At the Drive In was known for. (For those of you who don't know, ATDI split into two bands: MV and Sparta.) However, if that isn't your taste, you have nothing to worry about. This album is far from Latin with a rock groove; it's more like rock and sometimes a little voice in the back of your head says 'Hey... does that sound like Latin to you?' and you say 'Eh... a little maybe.'

This album is guitar fueled 90% of the time, and the keyboards bring back memories of Pink Floyd. For example, there is one guitar solo on Roulette Dares towards the end of the song that, if I did not know it was MV, I would guess that it was Floyd. Rodriguez-Lopez is a true genius on the guitar, and his riffs control the song without dominating or self-indulging. Theorore's drum work perfectly compliments the rest of the band, although like most great drum work, it is easily ignored when you're listening to Zavala singing. His voice is almost feminine in nature, and while he does no screaming, the power and emotion in his voice as he wails things like "I'm lost" in Inertiatic ESP is extremely moving. The real news musically is Flea's contribution to the album on every track minus Televators, on which Johnson's stand-up work is barely audible but still suitable. Flea's signature slap-pop is nowhere to be found on the album. The musical maturity that Flea has acquired is fully present on this album. He has mastered the art of knowing when to sit back, while still being a vital part of the song and maintaining his Flea voice. (I actually thought it was Flea when I listened to it before I read the album notes.) Each member of the band is perfectly suited for the other 4, and it is a joy to hear them work together.

[B]The lyrics:[/B]

The musical elements of the album are important, of course, but the true genius of this album is found in the lyrics. This album was written by Lopez and Zavala about their deceased friend and continual inspiration, Julio Venegas, who commited suicide in '93. He was a continual drug-user, who even experimented shooting up rat poison which caused a complete withering of one of his arms. One day he attempted suicide by giving himself an overdose of morphine, but he was found and his life was saved; however, he went into a coma, which is where the majority of the album takes place. Lopez and Zavala imagine the hallucinations that Venegas might have had during his coma, and musically document it with extremely odd yet understandable and touching mental images of a man standing on an infinite plain, surrounded by shipwrecked boats, completely alone. After coming out of the coma, Venegas knows the truth about himself due to the hallucinations that explored the light and dark sides of his mind. Venegas hurls himself over a bridge onto a freeway during rush-hour traffic.

The lyrics are hard to understand while listening. As of today, MV is still awaiting the release of a book written by Zavala and Lopez documenting the album's making and meaning. If you want, you should get the lyrics online. My favorite set of lyrics that i think are 99% accurate are found at [url]www.inertiatic.com[/url] .

[B]Conclusion:[/B]

Between the chemistry of the individual band members, and the intense and moving musical journey accompanied by the lyrics, it's no wonder that the band is frequently compared to Pink Floyd. I see it as what Pink Floyd would be if they were hardcore. Don't take that to the bank, though - I played the album for my dad, a 55-year old music junkie and huge Floyd fan, and he was downright [B]insulted.[/B] Regardless, ATDI, Floyd, and fans of almost anything that requires talent (Ahem... pop-punk fans may look elsewhere) would enjoy this album. Even if you're uninterested in the lyrical and artistic elements of the album, they rock, plain and simple. And even if you hate the music, you can't deny the power of the concept.

[B]Score:[/B]

5/5

[B]References:[/B]

[url]www.themarsvolta.com[/url] (official website)
[url]www.thecomatorium.com[/url] (album interpretations, interviews)
[url]www.inertiatic.com[/url] (bio, lyrics)
[url]www.goldstandardlabs.com[/url] (record label; go there for info about the book)

Thank you for reading. My AIM name is HolySkinnyAgent and my e-mail address is [email]kingsleyanthony@hotmail.com[/email] if you want to make some input. But you should probably just post here. Bye.

its an excellent album and i agree with most you have written..the links are a nice touch also. it would just have been a better review if you reviewed every song seperatley

Good review, but I like pop-punk and like TMV, so shut up :thumb:

Great review, i'm a huge fan and I think you did it justice there.

[QUOTE=moderaterock222]its an excellent album and i agree with most you have written..the links are a nice touch also. it would just have been a better review if you reviewed every song seperatley[/QUOTE]

i was actually considering doing that, but i was afraid that i'd be doing too much direct interpretation of each song, and i think that some should be left to the listener. also, one of the reasons that I like concept albums is that it's really one song but with multiple movements, like a symphony.

This review was done quite a while ago, and it's grown to considerable size.

Search for the review first, rulebreaker.

i merged the two threads.

thanks, stingray! sorry i didn't see this thread earlier.

amazing cd wish they were still ATDI and awsome review

dude I had no idea flea played bass for them

saw the mars volta open live for the queens of the stone age and red hot chili peppers. possibly the worst band i have ever seen in my life. they sounded like crap, didn't really play anything, and had no personality. they really didn't care what the crowd thought of them which is terrible.

in short i've seen local bands that can barely keep time that are better than these guys. but if you like them that's cool, you're just wrong :P. no flames!

I baught this album not too long ago, and it never leaves my CD player.

I love it.

this cd is a masterpiece.

[QUOTE=Crocto]saw the mars volta open live for the queens of the stone age and red hot chili peppers. possibly the worst band i have ever seen in my life. they sounded like crap, didn't really play anything, and had no personality. they really didn't care what the crowd thought of them which is terrible.

in short i've seen local bands that can barely keep time that are better than these guys. but if you like them that's cool, you're just wrong :P. no flames![/QUOTE]

Really? Thats odd, especially the no personality bit. When I saw them live they were amazing, with Cedric jumping everywhere, climbing up the side of the stage and throwing his microphone around. I think the show would have been weird if I hadn't heard the album first, but since I knew what to expect I absoloutely loved it.

Oh and since this is the review thread, I think the album is fantastic.

it never gets old.

the cd that is...

This album is amazing, i cant wait for their next one.

have you all heard? omar is doing a solo record, and TMV are doing a new album - both set to be released this year! yayy!

they do NOT suck live! (or whatever you said) full of energy, a great connection with the audience, and kept me thoroughly entertained throughout.

This album is the best album sence dark side of the moon, and is just as origional. best band ever

i saw them live at the london astoria when they were they

it was the gig i have ever been to

you could see all were putting in 110%. The person i was most impressed with was jon theodore(the drummer) he ****ing killed the drum set.

Then Omar on guitar - wow ****ing amazing - IMO one of the greatest man still making music today

omar plans to release a solo record which john frusciante and flea are both appearing on. I forgot the name - but its due out autumn i think. Im looking forward to it so much!

Since buying this album around 4 months ago or so (can't remember exactly) it has become one of my favourite albums ever, easily in my top 3. It is just amazing, not one song lets you down. If you don't have this album i highly HIGHLY recommend you getting it, you won;t be dissapointed.

[QUOTE=FillInTheBlankHere___]Awesome CD, and great review. :thumb:

To those who saw Mars Volta open for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Queens of the Stone Age and weren't impressed by them, give it another try. Their music doesn't translate very well on that tour. I saw it myself, and thought nothing of them, but later bought the CD after hearing good things about it, and the price was right (about 11 bucks CDN).[/QUOTE]

I thought that after seeing them live before Chilis- I gave them another chance and boy is it the best album ive heard in a long time. :thumb: great review threadstarter.

Aweome album, great review

[QUOTE=tommyd_rhcp]omar plans to release a solo record which john frusciante and flea are both appearing on. I forgot the name - but its due out autumn i think. Im looking forward to it so much![/QUOTE]

it's something like "a manual dexterity soundtrack vol 1"

which is a good title, because it sounds like there'll be more than one solo album from him.

[QUOTE=manuscriptreplica]

There is nothing really to say about Son et Lumiere, except that ?son? in Spanish means ?are? in English, and that it is a great lead in song to Inertiatic Esp.

[/QUOTE]

This might have been mentioned already, I didn't have time to read the whole thread, but 'Son et Lumiere' means 'Sound and Light', I'm not sure what language it is, either French or Latin. This does explain the cover art a little though :).

Excellent review though, and a great album.

I actually heard about this work by a Romantic period composer in my Music Apprec. class, about this guy who overdoses on opium and has this crazy trip. Each piece is about a different world he visits, and the whole thing is a concept. The only difference is it's all mostly about a girl he was in love with, and she was presented in a different way in each piece/world. So maybe the concept of [I]De-loused[/I] isn't as novel as I thought, but it's still beautifully done. I don't know the name of that composer or the work, and I haven't heard it myself, so don't quote me on all this, I'll check with teacher on it later. However, alot of rock concept albums borrowed the conceptual ideas from Romantic period classical music, which also focused heavily on the middle ages and fantasy stuff, so the Mars Volta may just be carrying on prog. rock tradition here (perhaps unknowingly).

ANyway, I really love De-loused and can't wait for the new releases. I just thought TMV fans would be interested to know this.

I think Omar and Cedric are just one of the best combinations of vocalist and guitarist you can find. From ATDI to The Mars Volta you can really see no matter what type of genre they play they excel greatly at it.

I'm bored with it now. Too many cliches, not enough variation on timbre and basic style.

^^ Yeah same (im bored with it too). I only like 3 or 4 tracks on it now. Oh well... that's what happens if you listen to it too much!

I still love it, but I don't listen to it as much :confused:

[QUOTE=BirdsOfFires]Ya know, I'm a huge prog fan and all, but I really don't like this band.
I basicially see them as crappy punk rockers who smoked too much pot so they tried to make a prog album. It has some nice moments, but as a whole it's really not that impressive to me. Especially musicially.

*comfortably awaits flames*
:)[/QUOTE]

Agreed, I'm listening to it now and it's really not that groundbreaking. It could be done easily with enough money for the studio time and effects. The concept however I love. The excecution isn't bad either, it's just not my cup of tea... Cedric's voice is annoying to me, I don't like it when I have to strain to hear/understand the lyrics. The guitar work is nice, but hey a bunch of echoes, a few reverbs, delays, phasers, flangers, and a nice amp and you could do it too. It's not that difficult. Fleas bass work isn't anything special.

And most importantly I'm not really enjoying the listen, it's not like when I put in The Wall or Meddle. It's cool if that's you're thing, but I just can't see listening to it often.

^^ No way. Omar is one of the most innovative guitarists around. With all that equipment you have listed, hardly anyone can create the mastery that he can create. But the Wall does own this album, as does many Pink Floyd albums. But remember, it is 1. their 1st album and 2. a concept album. They can only use limited ideas with their lyrics, as there is only really one subject they can discuss.

I had to re-buy this one after losing it in the train a few weeks ago. It's worth it...but I still don't think they are as original as many of the people in this thread claim.

I think "Cicatriz Esp/Cut That City" is their best track...lots of "rock"-purists hate the ambient part...but in my opinion the ambience in the middle is what makes that track a gem.

I saw TMV the other night, they opened for A Perfect Circle. They played 2 songs in an hour. I was torn. They were very high energy, stage presence was like that of the doors, especially the singer, jim morrison on a whole lotta crack, lol. They had some good old classic rock sounds workin for them, but no structure. It was as if everyone was playing a solo all at once. for a really long time. Overall I was not thrilled with their performance, but I saw the potential, so based on these reviews, I'm buying this album tonight.

[QUOTE=firedancer]I saw TMV the other night, they opened for A Perfect Circle. They played 2 songs in an hour. I was torn. They were very high energy, stage presence was like that of the doors, especially the singer, jim morrison on a whole lotta crack, lol. They had some good old classic rock sounds workin for them, but no structure. It was as if everyone was playing a solo all at once. for a really long time. Overall I was not thrilled with their performance, but I saw the potential, so based on these reviews, I'm buying this album tonight.[/QUOTE]
I've downloaded a few boots off of STG of the Mars Volta and it's really like one big jam session. In a lot of the shows Cicatriz take up a good 20 minutes or more; one particular concert I have is two songs in 40 minutes, with Cicatriz taking up 30 minutes of that. Mixed feelings on that, but it is great to know that they can actually play live and that the album isn't just an overproduced studio work, although some may argue that it still is.

[QUOTE=manuscriptreplica]^^ No way. Omar is one of the most innovative guitarists around. With all that equipment you have listed, hardly anyone can create the mastery that he can create. But the Wall does own this album, as does many Pink Floyd albums. But remember, it is 1. their 1st album and 2. a concept album. They can only use limited ideas with their lyrics, as there is only really one subject they can discuss.[/QUOTE]

With a studio full of the stuff I listed it could be done. The guy IS good, but in all honesty prog. isn't that difficult to play. I'll half-way agree with you on that. I still think it's interesting, but just no fun to listen to.

Prog isn't hard to play!??! !L@KHOIP#@HT!!! What you say, boy?!

I'd say it's one of the hardest. Look at most genres today. Take thrash for example, my favourite. All it is is playing the E about 50 times then filtering in a riff. OK, it is done at about 240 BPM, but it's not that hard to play. Punk. OK, again it can be relatively fast, but few solos and all they do is play chords, and riffs (probably more, but the only punk I've heard is the Ramones - sorry punkers) but PROG! All the different time signatures, the jam sessions, the tempo changes, the solos, it's one of the hardest genres to play. I can't even play one dream theater song on bass (I've attempted only two, but that's beside the point) I can play most of Floyd's stuff, but it is harder for guitar. And while Flea's bass work is not rocket science to figure out, it does fit the music superbly, especially on the track Eriatarka.

Oh well, their new album is due out this year. It's not a concept album, so it will be interesting to see what they can do. And Omar's got a solo album going. Should be good!

[QUOTE=OrbDragon]I had to re-buy this one after losing it in the train a few weeks ago. It's worth it...but I still don't think they are as original as many of the people in this thread claim.

I think "Cicatriz Esp/Cut That City" is their best track...lots of "rock"-purists hate the ambient part...but in my opinion the ambience in the middle is what makes that track a gem.[/QUOTE]
I thought "the jam" was the best part about that track, it's one of the coolest double guitar solos ever. I love how the guitars will harmonise in unison for a moment then both go back to doing their own things, just weaving back and forth, over and under each other.

And yes, The Mars Volta are overrated, but they're still magnificent. Make sense?

Oh yeah, and that piece I was talking about was called "Symphonie Fantastique" though I might be off with the spelling. I forgot the composer's name again.