I'm sure the announcement was 26 minutes long, with several dueling saxophone/guitar solos

First two albums: Awesome!
Third album: Meh...

Haven't picked up anything by them since honestly. Although I hear their last one was some of the heaviest stuff they've ever done. I'll have to go pick it up now I think.

/or download it, then buy it if it's any good
//apprehensive about this one

Bondidude: First two albums: Awesome!
Third album: Meh...

Haven't picked up anything by them since honestly. Although I hear their last one was some of the heaviest stuff they've ever done. I'll have to go pick it up now I think.

/or download it, then buy it if it's any good
//apprehensive about this one

you are spot on with the first three. i totally agree, so trust me when i say that bedlam in goliath is awesome. best since deloused. no filler, lots of rock, and crazy drumming.

Download the third album first IMO. (Bedlam in Goliath) It has the moments of sheer brilliance similar to the first 2 albums, but these moments are fewer and further (farther?) between.

Also most of the vocals are sung at a lower register and then doubled up the octave which really frustrates me after 15mins or so. Still good album and I'll give the next one a shot too.

Which track(s) is John Frusciante on?

Obviously I approve

Wait, they're only playing the UK?

Katastrfee: Download the third album first IMO. (Bedlam in Goliath) It has the moments of sheer brilliance similar to the first 2 albums, but these moments are fewer and further (farther?) between.

Amputechture really pissed me off. It was way too much of the "We're just gonna jam this one out." But they never really rocked out in the first place. That's what I liked about the Mars Volta, was at times it was balls to the wall rockin' out, but they also had their moments where things were a bit more collected and the two contrasted each other nicely. They had a good balance between the two. They lost that with Amputechture, IMO.

dontbreakthebend: you are spot on with the first three. i totally agree, so trust me when i say that bedlam in goliath is awesome. best since deloused. no filler, lots of rock, and crazy drumming.

Rolling Stone said it best in their review. "I'm starting to feel a miscarriage coming on," Cedric Bixler-Zavala announces in a tremulous bark in "Goliath," well into the crowded cerebral-metal violence of the Mars Volta's fourth studio album. It is late warning.

HulkHands: I'm sure the announcement was 26 minutes long, with several dueling saxophone/guitar solos

I lol'd..

Amputechture was the only album without a unifying narrative, I think that's why it seemed a little more disjointed than their other work. Anyhoo, here's the track listing for the new one from wikipedia.


"Since We've Been Wrong"
"Teflon"
"Halo of Nembutals"
"With Twilight as My Guide"
"Cotopaxi"
"Desperate Graves"
"Copernicus"
"Luciforms"

That's not an afro, THIS (new window) is an afro.

HulkHands: I'm sure the announcement was 26 minutes long, with several dueling saxophone/guitar solos

i lol'ed as well.

on a side note, if anyone here is into drug-addled psychedelic math rock, you should definitely check out the leak of the album 'cryptomnesia' that omar made with cedric and zack hill from hella on the drums. it's pretty damn cool.

In before the haters.

/Saw them at ACL and went nuts

I prefer Uranus Volta myself.

These guys suck!

Eunuch Provocateur: dontbreakthebend: you are spot on with the first three. i totally agree, so trust me when i say that bedlam in goliath is awesome. best since deloused. no filler, lots of rock, and crazy drumming.

Rolling Stone said it best in their review. "I'm starting to feel a miscarriage coming on," Cedric Bixler-Zavala announces in a tremulous bark in "Goliath," well into the crowded cerebral-metal violence of the Mars Volta's fourth studio album. It is late warning.

That sounds like they scored the album low. It was actually 4 stars of 5 in their review. Bedlam was excellent. I agree that the first two were best. I still liked Amputechture.

jpmessiah: These guys suck!

Not everyone can like good music.

j4x: That sounds like they scored the album low.

Ya taken out of the rest of the review it does seem out of context, but Bedlam really was an excellent album. As far as Amputechture goes, I think Asilos Magdalena and Viscera Eyes are a couple of my favorite songs from the band altogether, but the rest of it didn't impress me that much

I am a firm believer that when it comes to TMV: If at first you don't like it - listen, listen again.

After hearing Viscera Eyes a few times, I started to warm up to Amputechture, and now Tetragrammaton is one of my faves by them.

Although I could listen to De-Loused about once a day and never get sick of it.

Is the announcement that they are going to be At The Drive-In again? Please?

/I'll probably pick it up anyway.
//Maybe listen to it in one ear and Sparta in the other and see how that works out for me.
///The Mars Volta are good. At The Drive-In were great.

Excellent. Hopefully they come to Canada again, caught them in Toronto on the last tour and it was great.

I never really liked De-Loused, I felt it was a let down after the EP. I liked Frances the Mute a lot and Bedlam is excellent as well. Amputechture... yeah it was a bit much.

Anyway, I'm excited for this one. Hopefully they keep it going from the last album.

So they're back to porkin' again huh?

j4x:Not everyone can like good music.

Yeah not everyone likes random compositions of unlistenable noise.

/Saw them in concert as an opener for the RHCP (also not my favourites but whatever) and it was probably the worst live performance I've ever heard in my life
//Is it wrong my slashie was longer than my post?

I will begin to listen to the Mars Volta again if, and only if, they agree to a complete and total ban on portmanteaus.

not that they particularly care how i feel about it.

Cndn Bacon: j4x:Not everyone can like good music.

Yeah not everyone likes random compositions of unlistenable noise.

/Saw them in concert as an opener for the RHCP (also not my favourites but whatever) and it was probably the worst live performance I've ever heard in my life
//Is it wrong my slashie was longer than my post?

Your ignorance is showing.

jpmessiah: These guys suck!

Troof.

Objectus: I will begin to listen to the Mars Volta again if, and only if, they agree to a complete and total ban on portmanteaus.

Huh?

j4x: Your ignorance is showing.

Ignorance? I don't know about that.

It just doesn't sound good. I don't care how technically complex it is, if it doesn't sound good I'm not going to listen to it.

Cndn Bacon: Ignorance? I don't know about that.

It just doesn't sound good. I don't care how technically complex it is, if it doesn't sound good I'm not going to listen to it.

The Mars Volta is known for improvising a lot of their live sets, which by nature can be pretty hit or miss. I don't know if you've heard anything recorded by them, but listen to their albums a couple of times through, particularly the first two, I think you might become a fan

downstairs: Objectus: I will begin to listen to the Mars Volta again if, and only if, they agree to a complete and total ban on portmanteaus.

Huh?

Coma + auditorium = comatorium
amputate + technology + architecture = amputechture

there's a ton more but perhaps you get the point

Cndn Bacon: It just doesn't sound good. I don't care how technically complex it is, if it doesn't sound good I'm not going to listen to it.

you mean it doesnt sound good to you. you still imply that your opinion is the standard by which all music should be judged. i understand that you do not like the sound, and many people share your opinion.

my problem is that you come into this thread just to be a music snob, but you dont stick your own neck out and state what you do like so that the rest of us can shiat on your favorite music.

also, i doubt you have really given mars volta a fair shake. it sounds like you saw them open once and made your opinion based on that. generally, opening bands do not get too much attention when it comes to the mix, so it is no surprise that you did not like the sound.

based on your statements i assume you dont like jazz too much either. and thats ok, just dont be a music snob just because you cant wrap your head around polyrhythms and odd time signatures.

Katastrfee: Download the third album first IMO. (Bedlam in Goliath) It has the moments of sheer brilliance similar to the first 2 albums, but these moments are fewer and further (farther?) between.

Also most of the vocals are sung at a lower register and then doubled up the octave which really frustrates me after 15mins or so. Still good album and I'll give the next one a shot too.

Heh. I hate to quote myself but I completely forgot about Amputechture. My original statement still stands however...download the third album (Amputechture) to try it out.

Bedlam was nothing but steps in a great direction and I'm really looking forward to what happens on the new one.

/De-Loused is still on my playlist
//next to Fortress - Protest the Hero

dontbreakthebend: my problem is that you come into this thread just to be a music snob, but you dont stick your own neck out and state what you do like so that the rest of us can shiat on your favorite music.

Hmmm, I could have sworn this article and the subsequent thread was about The Mars Volta.

[checks headline]

Yep, it's about the Mars Volta so I'm going to stick to talking about them.

And I have heard their albums. While they weren't nearly as bad as the live show, I don't like their music and think their singer is terrible.

And you're right, when I listen to music, I don't think about polyrhythms and odd time signatures. I listen to music just to listen. Why should I have to delve into the technical merits of it to decide whether I like it or not? That seems like being a music snob.

Katastrfee:
/De-Loused is still on my playlist

i have listened to DitC about once every other day for what seems like the last five years. that album is perfection.

moar at the drive in instead!

i loved the first one, loved the first song on the 2nd one but none of the rest, then saw them live and discovered they are probably one of the worst live bands ive ever seen or heard. ill still give each new record a try though. the last one had great tunes but the production rendered it completely unlistenable.

mahavishnunj: the last one had great tunes but the production rendered it completely unlistenable.

That's because it was cursed, remember? ooga booga

Cndn Bacon: And you're right, when I listen to music, I don't think about polyrhythms and odd time signatures. I listen to music just to listen. Why should I have to delve into the technical merits of it to decide whether I like it or not? That seems like being a music snob.

i wasnt suggesting that music should be judged based solely on technical merits. I just get tired of people saying something sucks because it is confusing. i like my share of pop music and 4/4 timing. hell, i generally prefer that sort of thing. I just think it is lazy for somebody to shiat on something for being technically advanced.

also, i find it interesting that you knock the vocals of tmv when you spent money to see anthony keedis try to sing.

I've heard everyone who saw them open for RHCP say the same thing, that it wasn't very good, was a wall of sound, and so forth.

I think that has a lot to do with the size of the venue. They simply have to much stuff going on for a stadium show. When I saw them, they could barely fit on stage but the sound was excellent and it was a great show. As much as I enjoy them, I wouldn't bother to see them at a large venue.

Cndn Bacon: j4x:Not everyone can like good music.

Yeah not everyone likes random compositions of unlistenable noise.

/Saw them in concert as an opener for the RHCP (also not my favourites but whatever) and it was probably the worst live performance I've ever heard in my life
//Is it wrong my slashie was longer than my post?

I'm not going to rag on you for not liking highly techincal music. Different strokes for different people. However, I have talked with people who are big Mars Volta fans and they all told me that the band's performances while opening for RCHP in 2006 were lackluster. Why? Because the Mars Volta are not an arena type band. All the shows the Mars Volta played in with RCHP were mainly arena shows. The acoustics and sound set up are different with a band of 8 people compared to the headliner band which is just half. So when you got the sound set-up for a band of 4 in a arena, its going to sound bad for an opening band that has 8 people doing their own thing, its just going to happen.

Go see The Mars Volta in a solo show. When in the right venue with the proper acoustics, they are in my opinion one of the best shows in the world. A band that large cannot just be set-up like your average rock band. The acoustics for a band with such a large sound with 8 people are very different from your average rock trio or quartet.

lerxst2112: I'm not going to rag on you for not liking highly techincal music. Different strokes for different people. However, I have talked with people who are big Mars Volta fans and they all told me that the band's performances while opening for RCHP in 2006 were lackluster. Why? Because the Mars Volta are not an arena type band. All the shows the Mars Volta played in with RCHP were mainly arena shows. The acoustics and sound set up are different with a band of 8 people compared to the headliner band which is just half. So when you got the sound set-up for a band of 4 in a arena, its going to sound bad for an opening band that has 8 people doing their own thing, its just going to happen.

Go see The Mars Volta in a solo show. When in the right venue with the proper acoustics, they are in my opinion one of the best shows in the world. A band that large cannot just be set-up like your average rock band. The acoustics for a band with such a large sound with 8 people are very different from your average rock trio or quartet.

agreed. it should also be noted that they were doing some serious drugs during the rhcp tours. I saw them in that time, and they were not very tight and the mix sucked. i also saw them last year at the aragon ballroom in chicago and they were amazing. Good mix, and sobriety worked wonders. cedric hit every note. sounded just like the album.

I guess what really gets me about all of the TMV criticism is that they are at least original and talented. i wish more bands would at least try to do something different. i can understand claims that tmv are pretentious and self indulgent, but i cannot understand how somebody can really say they suck.

knifefish: I think that has a lot to do with the size of the venue. They simply have to much stuff going on for a stadium show.

lerxst2112: Why? Because the Mars Volta are not an arena type band.

this has nothing at all to do with why i said theyre terrible live. i havent seen or heard a ton of shows but at least 7 or 8 and none of them were on the chili peppers tour. the reason they suck live is because the guitarist(while creative)is extremely sloppy and isnt REMOTELY qualified to get into the long jams he gets into. you have to know how to play some lead before you spearhead a 20 minute jam. also, i love the singer but he hits so many horrifying notes its unbelievable. im not talking a few flubs, im talking about massive failure. maybe theyve gotten better since the last thing i heard, if someone has a link to something live that they think totally negates what i said id truly like to hear it. like i said, i totally dug the songs on the last record i just found the production really grating, so if theres good versions of those live that would be sweet.

No thanks. I don't like screechy voices over many chunks of songs strung together with no direction.

Are they going to put some actual music on this one?

poindxtr: No thanks. I don't like screechy voices over many chunks of songs strung together with no direction.

Wow, you fail at trolling. Do you even know what we're talking about?

dontbreakthebend: Cndn Bacon: And you're right, when I listen to music, I don't think about polyrhythms and odd time signatures. I listen to music just to listen. Why should I have to delve into the technical merits of it to decide whether I like it or not? That seems like being a music snob.

i wasnt suggesting that music should be judged based solely on technical merits. I just get tired of people saying something sucks because it is confusing. i like my share of pop music and 4/4 timing. hell, i generally prefer that sort of thing. I just think it is lazy for somebody to shiat on something for being technically advanced.

also, i find it interesting that you knock the vocals of tmv when you spent money to see anthony keedis try to sing.

you leave Kiedis out of this. haha

Eunuch Provocateur: poindxtr: No thanks. I don't like screechy voices over many chunks of songs strung together with no direction.

Wow, you fail at trolling. Do you even know what we're talking about?

Clearly, anyone who doesn't like this mound of wannabe prog doesn't know jack.

Yep.

Patterson: Clearly, anyone who doesn't like this mound of wannabe prog doesn't know jack.

Yep.

No, see, at least you know what you're saying...many chunks of songs strung together with no direction? That right there is an obvious troll fail, buddy

Eunuch Provocateur - he's right: to me, him, and a lot of others, The Mars Volta have no direction other than showing off their perceived 'skill'. My ex is huge into them, so I listened - a LOT, and I didn't get anything from them but annoyances. I put them in the same basket as Coheed and Cambria, and Phish - pointless noodling for the sake of it.

However, if anyone wants to try to show me a direction, go for it.

/Love At The Drive In
//and yes, I do love good music so don't tell me to go back to watching AI.
///Listening to The Cinema Show right now.