FRANCES THE MUTE

This is, in my opinion, the greatest piece of modern art to come out in this millenium. Simply listening to the whole of Cassandra Gemini should convince anyone that this is the best prog rock band out there today. At first I thought that the weird electronic sequences that precede The Widow and L'Via were just filler, but after continuous plays, they really are integral to the experience of this album. My mind is going haywire trying to think of all the good things I can say about this album; there are just so many moments that are absolutely breathtakingly innovative. The guitar work is downright jarring one minute and insanely melodic the next. The breakdowns on this album are stylistically similar to Pink Floyd, but the sheer musicianship that is displayed surpasses anything that Pink Floyd ever did. This comment is coming from a huge Pink Floyd fan, who loves their more obscure space jam albums like Atom Heart Mother and the Shine On suite from Wish You Were Here. Miranda is the strangest track of the five, but it is one of my favorites. It is just so trippy and epic. Jon Theodore is absolutely brilliant on this album; I'm so glad that The Mars Volta found such a great drummer in Thomas Pridgen after Theodore left. One thing is for sure- this album would be nothing without Jon Theodore. I can go on and on about how unbelievable I think this band and this album are, but I won't be able to describe the wonder I have at listening to Cedric's bizarrely beautiful lyrics and melodies, Omar's amazing atonal riffage, and Theodore's godly drumming. This will be the quintessential prog rock album for years to come.