My history with the bands Omar Rodriguez-Lopez was in, definitely does not start from day 1. In fact At the drive-in released their first album "Acrobatic Tenement" in 1996. I didn't discover them till 2000 and by that time they already had 5 records out. I think the main reason why was because they are from El Paso, Texas and had not really reached British Shores yet. But when "Relationship of Command came out that changed everything. They appeared on the front cover of NME which was where I discovered them. The cover showed the band where two of them sported afros and I thought to myself - I wonder what kind of music they make.
I hadn't actually heard them on the radio or TV by this point but decided to pick up "Relationship of command" from the record shop anyway. And it was fantastic - so high energy - mature punk rock at its finest. I say mature as they weren't in the same category as Blink 182 or anything like that. But it was strange to see a band like this in NME rather than Kerrang given how heavy and explosive they were. I remember they played a gig at the Arches in Glasgow. I was too young at the time to go but one of the guys at school, James M liked them too and was so tall he could get into gigs when he was underage easily. He said the gig was amazing.
I did go back and buy a few of At the drive-in's earlier albums but didn't really like them that much and nothing really stood out for me unlike "Relationship of Command". Some of the albums were actually really hard to get hold of as they took a while to make a name for themselves therefore not readily available. And the irony is when they did finally make a name for themselves they went on a "indefinite hiatus".
It was quite a few years later where I heard what the various members had been upto since the split. Singer Cedric and Omar formed The Mars Volta while other members went onto form Sparta. I never bought any Sparta albums but they are still going. But the true talent of At the drive-in came from Omar and Cedric. Those were the days before Twitter and Facebook so I was actually unaware the released an EP and then their first album "De-Loused in the Commatorium". They actually supported the Red hot chili peppers on an arena tour round the UK with that album too. Something I was gutted I missed when I eventually discovered their existence.
But when I did discover them and bought "De-Loused" what I found was a terrific album. At the Drive-in were so ferocious and straight to the point. The Mars Volta still had this intensity but they let their ideas flourish without boundaries. Leading to longer and even better tracks. "Cicatriz Esp" especially was like 12 minutes long and has such a great build up and then climax. "Televators" was another favourite as it was more of a dreamy chilled out track.
In 2005, The Mars Volta released their second album "Frances the Mute" with lead single "The Widow". This was the only single to come off the album since it was the only track on the album that was less than 10 minutes long! This was actually one of the first album reviews I ever did and I actually said at the beginning of it on first listen it just sounds like a complete mess. They actually had to split up a few of the longer tracks in order to call it an album rather than a five track EP. I am glad I stuck with this album though as I still think its one of the best records in my CD collection. I mean the last track "Cassandra Gemmni" is 32 minutes long and they totally pull it off. But there really is so much to discover and unearth on this album. Its just the album that keeps on giving.
I actually went to see The Mars Volta when they toured this album at the Barrowlands. I was with my brother and I'm pretty sure one of the guys I used to work with, Ronnie and his mate were there too. As we had quite a crossover in tastes of music. This was the first and last time I'll get to see "Cassandra Gemmini" played live I think given its length and the amount of material they have now. One thing I also loved though was the extended jams and the energy they put into their performance.
After releasing Frances the Mute though where on earth do you go with your next album?! The answer was "Amputechture". This wasn't an album I really got into that much. "Viscera Eyes" was a great song and had this amazing riff. I did get into some other tracks later on down the road but in general I skipped over this record and they didn't actually tour Scotland with this record either.
Then they pulled me back in when they released "The Bedlam in Goliath". This was a slightly less prog record than the first 3 outings. But it still had that Mars Volta stamp on it. I really got into this album though and during the 3-4 months after it came out I was listening to nothing else. The track "Goliath" in particular was epic. I went to see them on this tour too with a guy called Phil and his mates who I had met through friends from school. It was at the then Carling Academy in Glasgow. It was clear then they were getting even better live as the jams got longer as well as the random improv bits between songs. They had no support either and played for 3 hours. This was the last time I saw them on tour.
It wasn't long till their next album got released. Bedlam was 2008 and the next album "Octahedron" was out the very next year. I actually always thought of this album as an EP since it was only 8 tracks. But looking back on it, its actually still more of an album that most out there. 50 minutes run time says it all. "Since we've been wrong" was such a great song that really stood out for me on this one. I wouldn't say the album was De-loused, frances the mute or Bedlam level but it wasn't far behind.
There was a 3 year gap to their 6th studio album "Noctourniquet" which was to be Mars Volta's final album as they split after this. This was an album I thought was a real let down. Mars Volta have a reputation for being exciting, imaginative and really trying to stand out from the crowd. This album really had none of those things and felt like the passion had just been sucked out of each member. It was almost like they knew that so just called it a day.
In terms of Omar's solo stuff, his first album "A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume 1" was released 2004. While he was in the The Mars Volta he released a number of albums. In fact through to when Mars Volta had split in 2012 he had released 25 albums. So maybe "released a number of albums" maybe a bit of an understatement. I reviewed 5 of these albums. Normally with another artist reviewing that many albums would cover over a decades worth of music from that artists career. With Omar reviewing this number of albums feels like I'm just scratching the surface. And remember he was the lead writer in one of the biggest progressive rock bands during the 2000s while producing and writing these 25 other records. The albums I did listen to, and I did listen to more than I reviewed. I found that the albums were very diverse and also some suited my tastes and some didn't while others languished somewhere in between. One of my favourites was The Apocolypse Inside Of an Orange. One of the tracks on here in particular used the riff from Viscera eyes as the kind of backbone to the track. But this lasted 20 minutes and was absolutely mesmerising.
But after these 25 albums Omar was far from done. In fact between 2013-2017 he released another 27 solo albums. In fact at the end of 2016, start of 2017 he released an album every week. It was almost impossible for anyone to keep up even if they could afford to give that much to one artist. And to my knowledge only a handful of these albums are actually on Spotify. There is some good stuff in there though from what I have listened to.
Omar also formed a band called Bosnian Rainbows and later with Cedric a band called Amtemasque after the demise of Mars Volta. Both bands were short lived and released an album with each of them. They were ok albums but I knew they were capable of so much more. Then At the drive-in reformed and released int er a li a. It wasn't quite as good as Relationship of command but it wasn't far off. It was enough to put them back on the map and start playing to bigger crowds again which still hadn't forgotten them from their glory days in the Mars Volta. I went to see them as part of this tour with Campbell. They were still going as crazy as ever on stage. Most of the performance was mainly sticking to how the songs were played on record rather than going off on tangents like they did in the Mars Volta shows. But it was still an amazing gig.
The real question with Omar is just how many albums has he got left in him. He has been involved in so many you just wonder at what stage do you run out of ideas.
Showing posts with label The Mars Volta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Mars Volta. Show all posts
Monday, 25 May 2020
Saturday, 25 November 2017
11/03/08 The Mars Volta @ Carling Academy, Glasgow
TMV return to Glasgow
exactly 3 years to the day since they last played in the city. Having chosen not to tour Amputechture on
these shores, they bring with them over 140 minutes worth of new material to
unleash on the Scots. They certainly
didn’t waste any time as there was no support act ‘The Volta’ came on to the
stage at 8.10pm, diving headfirst into a 15 minute rendition of ‘Roulette
dares’. The tracks were spread nicely
from the four albums, apart from only playing ‘Cygnus’ off Frances the mute,
although it was a 30 minute version! It
still remains my favourite album, although the new album ‘Bedlam of Goliath’ is
not too far behind. Second up was
‘Viscera eyes’ off Ampetechture which has a great riff which live sent shivers
down my spine.
The gig lasted for 3 hours meaning at points it felt more
like an endurance event both mentally and physically. Sometimes the jams such as during ‘Drunkship’
and ‘Cygnus’ would go on for so long I would actually forget which song they
started with in the first place. There
weren’t even many moments in between songs where there was silence. While most bands in between songs play the odd
chord here and there and talk to the crowd.
TMV take the opportunity to do some mini songs, often just Omar and
Cedric bouncing off each other. At times
these bits were genius, but there were other times Omar’s loops became too
repetitive and would nearly set me to sleep, until the next song would explode
out of nowhere. I think these bits acted
like more of recovery sections for the band. Especially the drummer who has got
to be seen live to be believed; he is just the most energetic drummer I have
witnessed live. Even if I did ever
become that good at the drums; to do what he did in that gig, it would take me
about a week to recover! Never mind
going on stage the next night and doing it all again. Truly mind-blowing. In hindsight I can see why they needed the
breaks and even if at points it did become slightly monotonous; it is better
than silence!
The songs off Bedlam were a total joy to hear live. After being slightly sceptical of this album
when I first heard it; it has grown on me with every listen. Performed live it is sensational; in
particular, ‘Wax Simulacra’, ‘Agadez’ and the Rock monster of all monsters
‘Goliath’. These are all ferocious all
out rock, space prog songs where Cedric hits notes with ease that some women
wish they could reach. I couldn’t quite believe they played ‘Aberinkula’
without playing ‘Metatron’ which follows it on the album. On the album it actually feels like the same
song. I was just waiting in great anticipation to sing ‘Maybe I’ll break
down…..’. But it just stopped suddenly
after ‘Aberinkula’. Oh well, you can’t
have it all!
They really were awesome and the new material in my opinion
has transformed them into one of the best live bands around. I just wish I had
the time to see these guys more live because it takes long enough to get into
the studio albums never mind the live shows. This is not a criticism, it is a
complement. I would rather be challenged
in listening than going to a gig and hearing the same thing every time. They are genius and really hope they bring
out a DVD of one of the Bedlam gigs so I can watch it again and again.
Set List
Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)
Viscera Eyes
Wax Simulacra
Goliath
Ouroboros
Tetragrammaton
Agadez
Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus
Aberinkula
Drunkship of Lanterns
Ilyena
Meccamputechture
The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
`The Mars Volta' return with their 4th album, `The Bedlam in Goliath'. Like their previous releases there is a story behind the album and if you have a spare hour, and I do mean an hour, you can read the full thing on their website. Basically its all about a Ouija board Omar bought in Israel. Bad things began to happen and they all thought the board was cursed and in order to get rid of the curse they had to bury it. The question is did this make or break the output on the record? Well here is my take on things...
The general feel of the album is a kind of heavy punky prog. Think back to all the heaviest parts from previous albums. Those parts make up the majority of the record this time round. Therefore I would say compared to previous albums where they covered a wide range of sounds, mixing quiet and loud parts creating and also having different styles of songs. This album focuses more on the one style and that style is predominantly loud. The irony of about this is that Cedric and Omar left `At the drive-in' because the other members wanted to go down the punk/rock/pop route while Omar and Cedric wanted go in a more progressive/experimental direction. With `Bedlam', it's like they made it to show how far they have come musically since `At the Drive-in'. They can still do the punkier rock songs, but now they are a lot more polished and expansive than before. Even though it's a heavier record, Cedric does no resort to his old At the Drive-in days where he shouted the lyrics. The vocals are brilliant because the bursts occur a lot more often throughout this album. I just wait with great anticipation for the next vocal explosion to occur.
I would go as far as saying this is MV's most accessible album to date. A big statement I know and one in which would lead many of my friends to laugh a lot as they really don't think they are capable of making an accessible album! But the way I look at it is all the tracks have the same feel to them and relatively speaking it is easier listening than many of the songs on previous albums. Moreover, on each of the previous albums there have always been parts which are weird and take a long time to make any sense. However there are not really any parts like that on `Bedlam'. While I don't think this album will bring in any new fans as it still has `The Mars Volta' sound all over it; I think it may actually put off older fans who fell in love with the band due to the experimentation (weirdness) and pushing the boundaries of their music through the variety in their sound. The other albums usually took me at least 20 listens to understand and I use to relish the challenge of `getting it'. This album took me about 5 listens and if it was a computer game this would be MV on easy mode. I think the album would have been received brilliantly if this was their debut as compared to ATDI it's a big step up and would have acted as a great transitional record between the two bands. But when you compare `Bedlam' to the previous 3 albums the quality is there, but in terms of progression and experimentation it feels like a step back. In saying that it is just that even though it was easier `to get'; you will find yourself listening to it just as much, if not more than the other albums.
The main highlights of the album for me are tracks `Metatron', `Goliath', `Agadez', and bonus track; `Candy and a current bun'. `Metatron' feels like a continuation from track 1; Aberinkula which acts as a great builder/introduction. Cedric instantly kicks off `Meta' screeching the vocals "Maybe I'll break down" oozing passion and charisma. `Goliath' has got my favourite riff on the album. Furthermore Omar's solos on this track are edgy and frantic which really does some up the song. Most notably around the 4 minute 30 seconds mark and again at 6 minutes 40 seconds where the track seems to go into orbit as Cedric's vocals go into hyper mode. `Agadez' is underpinned by a funky bass line delivered by the one and only Juan Alderete. When I first heard `Candy and a current bun' I thought it sounded like a proper old school punk track. Funnily enough I later found out it actually was! It is a cover of the early Pink Floyd song. Cedric changes his vocal style here to one I can't recall him doing before. Each lyric is delivered purposely and precisely with a swagger attached. There is a funky keyboard part which acts as great closer to the album. I have since listened to the original and have to say that TMV make the original seem very ordinary and pedestrian. `Ilyena' and `Tourniquet Man' are the slow chill out songs on the album. However someone didn't tell that to new drummer Thomas Pridgen as he still drums at the same ferocity as the other tracks. This was clearly deliberate though as it does work a treat.
Overall, `Bedlam' is a great album. How a band can make an album with 13 tracks on it lasting 78 minutes feel like mainstream punk/rock/pop/prog record; only TMV know. They are genius, they are not going to go away and they are not capable of rehashing the same three chords on every album. These are extremely talented musicians with the creative force that make them one of the most fresh and exciting prog bands on the planet. I'm looking forward to their next album already...
The general feel of the album is a kind of heavy punky prog. Think back to all the heaviest parts from previous albums. Those parts make up the majority of the record this time round. Therefore I would say compared to previous albums where they covered a wide range of sounds, mixing quiet and loud parts creating and also having different styles of songs. This album focuses more on the one style and that style is predominantly loud. The irony of about this is that Cedric and Omar left `At the drive-in' because the other members wanted to go down the punk/rock/pop route while Omar and Cedric wanted go in a more progressive/experimental direction. With `Bedlam', it's like they made it to show how far they have come musically since `At the Drive-in'. They can still do the punkier rock songs, but now they are a lot more polished and expansive than before. Even though it's a heavier record, Cedric does no resort to his old At the Drive-in days where he shouted the lyrics. The vocals are brilliant because the bursts occur a lot more often throughout this album. I just wait with great anticipation for the next vocal explosion to occur.
I would go as far as saying this is MV's most accessible album to date. A big statement I know and one in which would lead many of my friends to laugh a lot as they really don't think they are capable of making an accessible album! But the way I look at it is all the tracks have the same feel to them and relatively speaking it is easier listening than many of the songs on previous albums. Moreover, on each of the previous albums there have always been parts which are weird and take a long time to make any sense. However there are not really any parts like that on `Bedlam'. While I don't think this album will bring in any new fans as it still has `The Mars Volta' sound all over it; I think it may actually put off older fans who fell in love with the band due to the experimentation (weirdness) and pushing the boundaries of their music through the variety in their sound. The other albums usually took me at least 20 listens to understand and I use to relish the challenge of `getting it'. This album took me about 5 listens and if it was a computer game this would be MV on easy mode. I think the album would have been received brilliantly if this was their debut as compared to ATDI it's a big step up and would have acted as a great transitional record between the two bands. But when you compare `Bedlam' to the previous 3 albums the quality is there, but in terms of progression and experimentation it feels like a step back. In saying that it is just that even though it was easier `to get'; you will find yourself listening to it just as much, if not more than the other albums.
The main highlights of the album for me are tracks `Metatron', `Goliath', `Agadez', and bonus track; `Candy and a current bun'. `Metatron' feels like a continuation from track 1; Aberinkula which acts as a great builder/introduction. Cedric instantly kicks off `Meta' screeching the vocals "Maybe I'll break down" oozing passion and charisma. `Goliath' has got my favourite riff on the album. Furthermore Omar's solos on this track are edgy and frantic which really does some up the song. Most notably around the 4 minute 30 seconds mark and again at 6 minutes 40 seconds where the track seems to go into orbit as Cedric's vocals go into hyper mode. `Agadez' is underpinned by a funky bass line delivered by the one and only Juan Alderete. When I first heard `Candy and a current bun' I thought it sounded like a proper old school punk track. Funnily enough I later found out it actually was! It is a cover of the early Pink Floyd song. Cedric changes his vocal style here to one I can't recall him doing before. Each lyric is delivered purposely and precisely with a swagger attached. There is a funky keyboard part which acts as great closer to the album. I have since listened to the original and have to say that TMV make the original seem very ordinary and pedestrian. `Ilyena' and `Tourniquet Man' are the slow chill out songs on the album. However someone didn't tell that to new drummer Thomas Pridgen as he still drums at the same ferocity as the other tracks. This was clearly deliberate though as it does work a treat.
Overall, `Bedlam' is a great album. How a band can make an album with 13 tracks on it lasting 78 minutes feel like mainstream punk/rock/pop/prog record; only TMV know. They are genius, they are not going to go away and they are not capable of rehashing the same three chords on every album. These are extremely talented musicians with the creative force that make them one of the most fresh and exciting prog bands on the planet. I'm looking forward to their next album already...
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
At first listen, it just sounds like a complete mess and is all over the place, though bit by bit it begins to make more sense..
On the 1st listen: Widow single (edit) makes sense
2-5 listens Cygnus apart from the last 2 mins makes sense
6-10 listens Miranda (now I realise the true genius of it)
11-15 listens L'Via L'viaquez (brilliant)
15-20 listens getting there with Cassandra Gemini but its still pretty tough.
The bits such as the last 3 minutes of the widow and 2 mins of Cygnus along with various other parts of the album can only really be described as 'awkward' listening. When the later minutes of Widow were playing my Mum actually thought the CD was jamming! To be fair it does sound that way. I do wonder what Omar and Cedric think of these parts, as they must have a reason why they are included. Obviously no one could understand their music more than them so they must see something in these parts which make them special enough to have included them on the album. In saying that, what I thought were 4 awkward minutes in the beginning of Miranda, I now realise that it really does act as a superb build up till the trumpets slowly come in. The uses of the trumpets are what makes Miranda such a cold and chilling track and adds to the atmosphere of the album as a whole.
Like any good album you really can't judge it until you've listened to it a lot. I really didn't like this album for starter especially as it is meant to be listened to in one sitting. At 76 minutes long, I think the sheer length of it played mind tricks on me and instead of properly listening to the music, I was thinking of how long it was. As you keep listening to it, time gradually becomes insignificant and when that stage is reached you can truly appreciate the album because it will start to make sense, so you're focusing less on the time and more on the music.
This album is to deloused as deloused is to relationship of command (At the Drive-in) because from relationship to de-loused, they really did take their music to another level and now they've managed one step further. Whether they make the next step with their next album remains to be seen, where that step is I don't think they even know! But one thing is for sure they have the talent to be timeless.
One thing I really like about this album is the concept that it is never ending, it can just loop forever because the end of the last track Cassandra, turns into the intro for Cygnus.
This album also shows how singer Cedric really has moved away from ATDI even further because there are virtually no 'shouty' bits at all. In fact Frances shows what an amazing singer he really is. He hits notes which most people could only dream of reaching, for example the "oh yeah" s during Cygnus or the "bring me to my knees towards the beginning of Cassandra. Overall his pure and unique vocals add a great deal to the album.
However the key to this album which holds it together is not Cedric's unique vocals, Omar's exquisite guitar playing or John's mental drumming but it's the infectious baselines which set the tone for the whole album. While Omar, Cedric, John along with the other contributors go off into their own little worlds in the album, the base line is the constant throughout each song and brings it all together. In particular Omar's guitar playing seems to dance round the baselines not knowing which way he's going to go next.
To explain what their album is like compared to other prog albums I'll put it in to context by using the analogy of running. First of all I'll explain how much music in general can be related to running. Anyone can run a mile, maybe at different times, but they can still run it. Just like pop music, its easy to understand. However longer runs require more training and you have to build up to it. This is like progressive music because you need to listen to it lots in order to understand it or to appreciate it to its full potential. To put this into context of this Mars Volta album is like a 3 hour long run. A 3 hour long run can take many shapes and forms. The MV album is like a mix of urban and rural landscapes. The urban bits are the straight forward road running bits, or the parts of the albums which are the easiest to understand. However they are still hilly sections in this part to keep it challenging. Then there is the rural parts which are the parts are the rough trails which take longer because it is more technical. This represent those 'awkward' moments of the album.
To sum up Frances the mute is a never ending journey through a musical landscape. A tough 3 hour long run may sound completely unthinkable to some people, but if you do the training its nothing short of brilliance just like Frances the Mute!
On the 1st listen: Widow single (edit) makes sense
2-5 listens Cygnus apart from the last 2 mins makes sense
6-10 listens Miranda (now I realise the true genius of it)
11-15 listens L'Via L'viaquez (brilliant)
15-20 listens getting there with Cassandra Gemini but its still pretty tough.
The bits such as the last 3 minutes of the widow and 2 mins of Cygnus along with various other parts of the album can only really be described as 'awkward' listening. When the later minutes of Widow were playing my Mum actually thought the CD was jamming! To be fair it does sound that way. I do wonder what Omar and Cedric think of these parts, as they must have a reason why they are included. Obviously no one could understand their music more than them so they must see something in these parts which make them special enough to have included them on the album. In saying that, what I thought were 4 awkward minutes in the beginning of Miranda, I now realise that it really does act as a superb build up till the trumpets slowly come in. The uses of the trumpets are what makes Miranda such a cold and chilling track and adds to the atmosphere of the album as a whole.
Like any good album you really can't judge it until you've listened to it a lot. I really didn't like this album for starter especially as it is meant to be listened to in one sitting. At 76 minutes long, I think the sheer length of it played mind tricks on me and instead of properly listening to the music, I was thinking of how long it was. As you keep listening to it, time gradually becomes insignificant and when that stage is reached you can truly appreciate the album because it will start to make sense, so you're focusing less on the time and more on the music.
This album is to deloused as deloused is to relationship of command (At the Drive-in) because from relationship to de-loused, they really did take their music to another level and now they've managed one step further. Whether they make the next step with their next album remains to be seen, where that step is I don't think they even know! But one thing is for sure they have the talent to be timeless.
One thing I really like about this album is the concept that it is never ending, it can just loop forever because the end of the last track Cassandra, turns into the intro for Cygnus.
This album also shows how singer Cedric really has moved away from ATDI even further because there are virtually no 'shouty' bits at all. In fact Frances shows what an amazing singer he really is. He hits notes which most people could only dream of reaching, for example the "oh yeah" s during Cygnus or the "bring me to my knees towards the beginning of Cassandra. Overall his pure and unique vocals add a great deal to the album.
However the key to this album which holds it together is not Cedric's unique vocals, Omar's exquisite guitar playing or John's mental drumming but it's the infectious baselines which set the tone for the whole album. While Omar, Cedric, John along with the other contributors go off into their own little worlds in the album, the base line is the constant throughout each song and brings it all together. In particular Omar's guitar playing seems to dance round the baselines not knowing which way he's going to go next.
To explain what their album is like compared to other prog albums I'll put it in to context by using the analogy of running. First of all I'll explain how much music in general can be related to running. Anyone can run a mile, maybe at different times, but they can still run it. Just like pop music, its easy to understand. However longer runs require more training and you have to build up to it. This is like progressive music because you need to listen to it lots in order to understand it or to appreciate it to its full potential. To put this into context of this Mars Volta album is like a 3 hour long run. A 3 hour long run can take many shapes and forms. The MV album is like a mix of urban and rural landscapes. The urban bits are the straight forward road running bits, or the parts of the albums which are the easiest to understand. However they are still hilly sections in this part to keep it challenging. Then there is the rural parts which are the parts are the rough trails which take longer because it is more technical. This represent those 'awkward' moments of the album.
To sum up Frances the mute is a never ending journey through a musical landscape. A tough 3 hour long run may sound completely unthinkable to some people, but if you do the training its nothing short of brilliance just like Frances the Mute!
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