FRANCES THE MUTE

Well the Mars Volta fan boys are out in force and I can only shake my head in bewilderment and some sadness. How can such a poor bunch of songs, always in minor keys, capped by a singer whose whining and mewling brings to mind Placebo on steroids, be rated as a masterpiece? Those who have rated it as such surely do not know much of what happened pre-1985 when it seems they must have been born. Effects and production are here substituted for music and virtuosity is valued only as a claim to 'prog' legitimacy rather than actually serving any real musical purpose. Perhaps this is an appropriate metaphor for our age - where form triumphs over substance. Sweet wet dreams, fan boys. Sad. If I could give this '-1000' stars I would...... PS - The fact that this lame band features on this site yet genuine progressives the Residents are nowhere to be seen puts it to shame.