FRANCES THE MUTE

Nope, I won't. It may be a good album which I undeniably appreciate, but this is nowhere near as good as the band's first studio album effort, which I gave five stars. This is, at best, a good album; but it has a few problems.

While the musicality of the five tracks is perfect and beautiful, there are many flaws that bring this album down. First off, the lengthy soundscapes in between songs are nice, but get grating after a while. So, I'll start off by reviewing the soundscapes.

Soundscape in between Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus and The Widow: 6/10

The cars wooshing by, the man beating his wife, and the weird synth sound get boring after a minute. What keeps this soundscape from totally sucking is the fact that it's not overly long and the synth sound kind of keeps things interesting by modulating and such.

Soundscape in between The Widow and L'Via L'Viaquez: 3/10

This sounds like a record tweaking out with some strange synths thrown in. The fact that it lasts so long and has a very thinly disguised excuse for musicality brings it down even more.

Sounscape at the beginning of Miranda, That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore: 9/10

This is the only soundscape I really like. The frogs chirping and the creepy singing really sets the mood for this song. My only criticism is that it lasts a little long, but it really is some chill stuff to listen to. Also, it is much more musical than the other soundscapes in this album, which is nice.

Now, onto the actual songs:

Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus: 9/10

This funky song is really nice - the verses are quick and interesting, the chorus spectacular with its layered vocals. The jam in the middle is a strange synthesis of time signatures, and the guitar solo seems a little slow to develop into something interesting - the only reason I've given this song a 9 out of 10. The chorus slams back in and the whole thing breaks down into a nice, slow 5/4 ending.

The Widow: 5/10

While it's short and sweet, that's all it is. Nothing interesting except for the trumpets in the bridge, but certainly not proggy by any extent. Sung with a lot of feeling, though, which is nice.

L'Via L'Viaquez: 7/10

The only problem with this song is that it drags ponderously. The song has really three parts - a fast latin rock beat, a slow salsa beat, and the bridge. The only thing I really appreciate is the piano solo, though the rest of the song is plenty musical and fun to listen to if you get over the fact that it repeats for a while before getting to the really interesting parts. Again, the only super worthwhile part is the solo section, though the rest of it is somewhat interesting to listen to.

Miranda, That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore: 9/10

This is another very good song. While a slow, ballad-type song, it is far more proggy than the other ballad on this album, The Widow. I love the use of strings, the electro-drums, and the quiet trumpet soloing towards the end. Overall, very progressive and melodic, though slow. That's the only thing that brings it down. Had they jammed out in this piece in a more up-tempo fashion, this could've been the best song on the album.

Cassandra Gemini: 10/10

Yes, it's 32 minutes long, and it is PROG to the MAX. Lots of soloing, lots of different sections and ideas, all of it engrossing to the end - which is what I look for in a good epic song. Much better than the rest of this album. I'm not going to say much about it, just that it is very fun to listen to.

My last words on this album are: get De-loused if you're looking for a masterpiece, but don't throw away a chance at this one. While this album shows off the Mars Volta's tendency towards pretension, it still is full of interesting musicality and beautiful lengthy compositions. Also, you might want to check out the title track - which is another excellent song, I'd give it an 8.5/10 but I won't review it here since it's not on the album. This album gets a 3 from me for it is good but not excellent.

Keep Proggin' (did I steal that phrase from somebody? Yes I did)

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