THE BEDLAM IN GOLIATH

The Mars Volta has established a whole new genre of music. God forbid I try and name it for you; but screw God, I'm gonna give it a shot anyway. A lot of tags that get thrown around in discussions of The Mars Volta include jazz, metal, punk, prog, and latin... the band definitely encompasses all of them. Many people have seen or heard the term post-prog, and if there was such a thing, TMV would be it - they mix the sensibilities of yesterday with the energy of tomorrow. While I find De-loused in the Comatorium to be a better example of this definition, The Bedlam of Goliath has its share of convincing moments.

Why do I consider The Bedlam in Goliath a masterpiece? Because it takes post-prog and turns up the heaviness and free improvisation to a maximum. This album is like a roller coaster - it flings you around to make sure you feel the G-forces, sends you into vertical drops and massive corkscrews, and ultimately sets you back down at the end wondering who the hell was crazy enough to invent something so fun. The compositions (all by Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez, the guitarist) really showcases his abilities on this one! While the music itself is nothing like classic symphonic prog, the arrangements are just as good. The form isn't just your typical ABA or ABABCAB... while the different musical sections have obvious boundaries, they keep evolving and repeat only when necessary. This attention to form is better than some of Rodriguez-Lopez's previous work with TMV, such as Frances the Mute or Amputechture. I personally believe that Rick Rubin was the reason for De-Loused's success, and on TBiG, Rodriguez-Lopez has finally realized that concise composing pays off.

Aberinkula is a great song to open this album. Unlike previous outings, it starts high-energy without any kind of ambient buildup. My favorite section of this song is the coda, where we get three several improvised sax solos and a brilliant melody line played by both Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This section builds in energy until we come to the chorus of Metatron. I really like this song because TMV truly messes with your sense of the downbeat in several sections - I'm not even sure what time signature some of this stuff is in.

Ilyena is the funkiest and catchiest of the tracks on this album. Good single material. Yet it doesn't get on my nerves like previous TMV singles (The Widow in particular). This is one of those songs where Rodriguez-Lopez gets the form exactly right. It has three distinct sections (beginning, middle, and end) and none of them drag on for too long. Wax Simulacra was the first single from this album and it's also pretty good. I really dig the chorus, which is in 11 - something most people hearing it on the radio wouldn't guess. I call that clever writing on Omar's part.

Goliath is an amazing song. The beginning starts with a very heavy Zeppelin-esque vibe, but the treat is the omega coda (as this section was dubbed by many TMV fans). This is a very fast-paced jam with some great solos from many of the band members and a really stunning performance by Cedric Bixler-Zavala. The next track, Tourniquet Man, is the song I like the least on this album. While many people have the same opinion because they find it radio-friendly and too soft, I dislike it for another reason - the main chord progression is unmelodic, and not in the spicy avant-garde sense but more the lazy guitarist sense. Not much happens in this song and it's the only one on this album I can skip over without feeling like I'm losing any part of the concept.

Cavalettas isn't TMV's best song either, but it does a whole hell of a lot better than Tourniquet Man. The energy starts nicely in this song and there's some really stellar punk stylings in addition to some weird and dissonant jamming. The song suffers from starting-stopping syndrome - just as it seems to get going, it dwindles down to ambient bull-sh!t (a word I use because it's the most accurate description). It does this about three times. It's worth sticking through this track, however, for the nice acoustic piano work at the end by Ikey Owens - he does a great job. Agadez is a pretty catchy number and has a latin feel during the bridge which TMV does exactly right. This is one of those songs that makes me a TMV fan.

Akepios starts out pretty strangely, and I had to listen to it a few times to get used to the beginning... but it's worth putting up with what sounds strange to finally receive the blessing of understanding. The end, which is heavier, is perhaps the most exemplary of what TMV is all about - uncompromising awesomeness. The bass is funky, the guitar is heavy, the drums are spastic, and the beat is groovier than Elvis. I suppose the same could be said for Ouroboros. Cedric really turns up the musical-theater attitude in this one, which goes great with the heavy guitar playing and fancy drumming. This one is also pretty latin in feel, and I'm impressed every time I listen to it.

Then comes Soothsayer, starting with a very cute middle-eastern sounding string melody that continues throughout the entire song. This piece is all about the build of energy and the release of energy - there is a constant soundscape beneath the repetitive but constantly building instrumental parts. I love the sampled choir at the end, it really lends to the atmosphere of this song. The closer, Conjugal Burns, reminds me of the ballad Concertina from Tremulant EP, somehow... maybe mixed with Cassandra Gemini from Frances the Mute. This is another very well-composed piece. My only criticism is this odd lyric - [i]my penis can rip through the very fabric of time[/i]. Bixler-Zavala is so talented at coming up with great symbols and metaphors... you think he could have found a more striking euphemism for the word penis. But I digress. Besides, if one can't handle a little vulgarity in their music, they're closing their mind to a lot of great stuff out there.

This is an exemplary work of The Mars Volta and way more entertaining than Frances the Mute or Amputechture, and it manages to push the boundaries of modern heavy prog by borrowing from plenty of different genres. I would give it around a 4.5 out of 5, rounded up to 5 stars because you won't be able to find any similar album released before this one, even from TMV's own discography. A must-have in the collection of any progger.