FRANCES THE MUTE

Many people, me included, have pondered and guessed as to what exactly is the style of music the Mars Volta bring to us. Are they progressive, emo, latin rock, or what? Well, trying to pigeonhole the band into one specific category of music is like trying to make a ball out of jell-o: not only is pointless, it also useless. The fact is that the Mars Volta play in style of the Mars Volta, a fusion of psychedelic, latino influenced, passionate, art rock.

The music and lyrics themselves are phenomenal. Mr. Cedric Bixler-Zalava with his Geddy Lee vocals provides us vivid, surreal, and overall very haunting lyrics with every song. The songs themselves tell the story of Cygnus Vismund, an orphan in search of his real parents. The writing is pure genius. He also treats to some Spanish vocals for a few tracks. Omar Rodriguez Lopez really shines on _Frances the Mute_ as the axe-man of the band. One cannot help but be impressed and in awe after listening to the never-ending line of explosive solos and inspiring riffs. I would also like to applaud the job the bassist and drummer do on this album at keeping the music upbeat and the speeding train that it is. And to aid these already talented and worthy musicians, the Mars Volta enlist the help of Chili Pepper Flea as the trumpeter on "The Widow" which will be released as a single despite being far from the best track on the album, but technically it is the only radio-friendly song of the album. Personally, I love "L'Via L'Viaquez" the best out of all them. It is strange because I know it is 12 minutes long yet it is so magically all throughout that it does not seem that long. Of course, I must comment on the 32 minute epic Cassandra Gemini. I, as well as many people, have to say that a half hour song can easily be a turn-off to many listeners, but once again The Mars Volta make listenable. My favourite part of that song comes at the 11 minute mark. Overall, I do not think I can list any cons about the music and production of this album. I can see this album being a turn-off to some people unfamiliar with this style of music, but that is by means the fault of The Mars Volta.

In the midst of era in music when the industry is dominated by bland, angst rock groups, the Mars Volta truly are a breath of fresh - well, I would say breath of fresh air, but of course no overdone cliché does any justice to the band. Rather, the Mars Volta are more like the aromas of several sweet flowers bunched to gather and presented in a concise manner. I know it has been said countless numbers of times about a lot of albums through the years, but _Frances the Mute_ frankly is an artistic masterpiece. This album is an epic for my generation and I sincerely hope for generations to come.