FRANCES THE MUTE

The thing about the THE MARS VOLTA is that you either love them or hate them...there isn't really an "in-between"...Yes there are those who think they are "an okay band", but usually it is a very split opinion (as you can see by the amount of split tension between the five-to-one star reviews and the two-to-four star reviews...there are only a few three star ratings...). I happen to be one that loves them. of course it didn't happen right when I first heard them. When I first heard them (I heard Frances before De-loused), I hated them...but there was something about them that called me back. I listened through all of De-loused, and the rest is history--and let me say, what we have here is a masterpiece no matter how you cut it (albeit to some it is a "flawed" masterpiece...).

The album itself begins with the track "Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus"...but believe it or not, that's not the first song on the album. The first track is "Frances the Mute" (availalbe on a single that is given out with the album by most record stores when purchased). In order to really "get" The Mute, I think this track needs to be concluded as part of the album...so it is the song I will begin with.

FRANCES THE MUTE: This song begins with four minutes of ambient effects and hammers clashing. Since it's the first thing we hear it will also be the first thing I adress. This "noise", scattered throughout the album, is done very tastefully and each represents events in the foggy story. The hammers in this song represent the death of Frances the Mute. The song finally begins almost out of nowhere (a nod back to Cut That City), and Cedric's nice voice backs up an intense frollock of notes and progression, with some very nice, tasteful playing by Theodore (drums) and Alderate (bass). The song breaks down into a fitful, almost frantic (because of the lyrics) section filled with mutterings of Cedric describing Frances' death. The song ends with what we hear esentially at the beginning of the retail album. SONG SCORE: 9/10

CYGNUS...VISMUND CYGNUS: The opener of the retail version of FRANCES THE MUTE is, in a romp, absolutely stunning. It begins with a tranquil prayer from Cygnus (son of Frances, main character of the story) that quickly escalates into a very psychotic song on all fronts that seems to flow in choppy bursts until the amazing chorus begins with the ringing harmonies of "Who do you trust?". It's enlightening. Then comes the breakdown section, in 5/8//3/4//2/4, which features a nice guitar solo by Omar and then builds back up into the original chorus lines. The song fades out slowly with ambience representing the rape of Frances, a nightmare of Cygnus's. The story follows Cygnus searching for his biological parents, as he was seperated from his mother at birth. The songs reresent characters and travels of Cygnus/Frances. SONG SCORE: 10/10

THE WIDOW: This song begins straightaway with Cedric sporting a mellow voice. The song itself follows a 3/4-swing rhythm that compares to Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Lovin' You" very well. The song itself is about Frances, from her point of veiw, about the "drug" she is addicted to. I'm not sure if this drug is an actual drug more than it is something she is addicted to (ex: sex). Either way the song is short and sweet, and the ambience that follows describes the "feeling" of Frances laying on a bed, presumably "high". SONG SCORE: 8.5/10

L'VIA L'VIAQUEZ: This song begins with :40 secs of a drum track played in reverse before it kicks in heavily with a Frusciante solo. This progresses through two entirely Spanish verses which are brilliantly performed. The chorus actually breaks down into a salsa-ish feel, slower in mediation but not in meter and led by a descending piano line; sung in english. Then we fire back into Frusciante solo number two. Repeat this all (which is a good thing). The song ends with a long piano solo in the salsa mode followed by a guitar solo, kudos to Omar. Then it's Cedric's turn to "solo". Here he sings the chorus in a distorted voice that sounds utterly creepy. A nice ending to a very dark feeling song. The song is about Cygnus turning to his mother's sister (his aunt), the nun L'Via. L'Via tells him about his mother's flight after her rape and his unsuccesful "abortion" from her. He was placed in her (L'via's) hands. She fled to the church and became a nun and Cygnus presumably was taken sometime after this. SONG SCORE: 10/10

MIRANDA THAT GHOST JUST ISN'T HOLY ANYMORE: This song begins with 4 minutes of ambience that describes Cygnus tranceding to an otherworldly dream to visit the spiritual devil Miranda. The effects get very chilling before the first blast of trumpets kick in. This song is amazingly beautiful. The chorus rings with the words "And when Miranda sang, everyone turned away, used to the noose they obey." The song follows a rather simple progression in 12/8 that then turns into an outro of a long trumpet duet, and finally ends the way it began, desciribing the exit from the dream. The song itself is about Cygnus's visit from Miranda who is in some way tied/related to him. I'm really not sure what she warns him about, but she does warn him, and after the dream Cygnus is very angry as shown in the next song... SONG SCORE: 10/10

CASSANDRA GEMINNI: Wow. This song is an amazing journey through soundscapes and imagry like none other I have ever heard in music...it is the gem of the album. The music is amazing and has no need to be described because, as lame as it may sound, it is almost beyond words. It follows Cygnus's "transformation" of sorts, his realization and dissapointment that his mother was in fact a whorish druggatic that had no need for him. He visits the night his mother was murdered along with 24 others in a dream or a thought (the number 25 is a huge reference throughout the album). I assume that Cassandra Geminni was the murderer of Frances, and that this song represents Cygnus being in her shoes, feeling her anger towards those she killed, etc, and still choosing to kill his mother. That's just me...the chorus of the song is another amazing pick up--"No there's no light in the darkest of your furthest reaches." The song builds around this and a nice corresponding verse/jam session before returning once more to this chorus with the added words "No there's no light, no there's no time, you ain't got nothin', your life was just a lie". Then the mood abruptly halts and we return to the same tranquil prayer from Cygnus that the album began with (minus Frances the Song) before halting. The symbolism of this recurring theme has yet to come to me, but that is another great thing about this album...it's art. SONG SCORE: part 1- 10/10, part 2- 10/10, part 3- 10/10, part 4- 10/10, part 5- 9/10, part 6- 9/10, part 7- 10/10, part 8- 10/10, as a whole- 10/10.

This album definately deserves more recognition than it gets. Even if the ambience is not your thing, the music is written well enough to deem a place somewhere in you heart. I strongly suggest you go purchase this. Now. The playing is amazing by every member throughout, and yes I enjoy Flea's trumpet playing. The lyrics are, in my opinion, a very well put together "riddle" of sorts that will do nothing but seduce you into finding out what the songs mean--plus Cedric's voice is amazing. Pick it up before it's too late. 10/10.

*NOTE ON SONG MEANINGS: The Mars Volta have released no offical document stating the real meaning of the songs on Frances the Mute, therefore please do not take my word that this is the only possible thing the album is about: it's not. This album, as I stated earlier, is pure art, and art has a different meaning for everyone that hears/veiws it.