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The Monodrone 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 21 2010
Location: Indiana, USA
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Points: 4489
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 Topic: The bedlam that is the Mars Volta.
Posted: May 10 2010 at 18:09 |
I was checking around on the PA forum and, to my amazement, couldn't find any topics about the Mars Volta appreciation... so I decided to create one  . Well, if you enoy the Mars Volta as I do, feel free to talk about anything involving them that you want to talk about, such as concert performances, albums, songs, etc... I love the Mars Volta and I believe they're one of the best, and certainly one of the most eclectic, newer prog bands of today. Omar and Cedric make such a great and experimental duo and have provided me, and hopefully many others, with a lot of great music over the last.
Alright, I'll start it off by giving my favorite albums by them in order:
1 & 2. De-loused in the Comatorium/ Amputechture (Tie)
3. Frances the Mute
4. Octahedron
5. The Bedlam in Goliath
PS: I would really like to hear about any live performances!
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moshkito
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 18066
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Posted: May 10 2010 at 18:27 |
Hi,
It was weird .. you know what turned me off from wanting to hear these guys? ... their turning down of an album cover that was done by Hipgnosis!
I trust the "editorial" that Storm always offers with it, and somehow, I thought that in the end, this was slightly over blown stuff ... and in 40 years, I have to tell you that there are maybe 2 or 3 covers in that time where they might not be "with it" ... even if weird. Even the ones that are the least appealing, still tell you something about the music ... ie. UFO for example!
Most "artists" understand the form and theory and have enough understanding for what others think. I find it weird that Storm was so stuck up and monumentally wrong about another band ... I suppose it can happen ... sooner or later ... but I am more inclined to believe that it is sort of like that Wayside NY bar bash Frank Zappa copies! Some people have this idea that dexterity in an instrument is the definition of music, and that's when you know some people are too full of themselves! And the music is too!
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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
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Kashmir75
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 25 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1029
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Posted: May 11 2010 at 18:52 |
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I only have Deloused... so far, but I've heard some of the later ones. I quite like the new one Octahedron.
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Hello, mirror. So glad to see you, my friend. It's been a while...
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The Monodrone
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 21 2010
Location: Indiana, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 4489
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Posted: May 11 2010 at 22:08 |
Yeah, Octahedron surpassed my expectations. It was very mellow but was very beautiful as well. I really like the songs "Copernicus" and "Cotopaxi."
On another note, does anyone know about their new drummer? I wonder what he's like compared to Jon and Thomas...
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UndercoverBoy
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 10 2009
Location: Tulsa, OK, U.S.
Status: Offline
Points: 5148
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Posted: May 11 2010 at 22:17 |
I love The Mars Volta. The best modern Prog band in my opinion. I have a DVD with a 20-minute live version "Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus" that came with The Bedlam in Goliath.
My order of their albums:
1. Frances The Mute (5 Stars)
2. De-loused in the Comatorium (5 Stars)
3. The Bedlam in Goliath (4.5 Stars)
4. Amputechture (4 Stars)
5. Octahedron (4 Stars)
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TheClosing
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 11 2010
Status: Offline
Points: 527
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Posted: May 11 2010 at 22:24 |
1. Frances the Mute 2. Octahedron 3. Amputechture 4. De-Loused 5. The Bedlam in Goliath
Edited by TheClosing - May 11 2010 at 22:25
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
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Joined: July 02 2008
Location: Australia
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Points: 14258
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Posted: May 11 2010 at 22:38 |
My order is
1 Frances the Mute
2. Amputechture
3. De-loused in the Comatorium
4. The Bedlam in Goliath
I have not heard Octahedron. Is it really worth getting . I have heard mixed reactions........ that they merged into acoustic territory and its not very prog. Is that true?
.
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Textbook
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 3281
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Posted: May 11 2010 at 22:41 |
For their first two albums, The Mars Volta were one of my favourite bands on earth. For the next two they were pretty good but the sheer shock of what they did on Frances The Mute wasn't and probably couldn't, be recreated.
I think Octahedron is easily their worst album and judging from what I read on The Comatorium, their own message board, many fans feel the same way.
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The Monodrone
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 21 2010
Location: Indiana, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 4489
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Posted: May 11 2010 at 22:43 |
 gottagetintogetout wrote:
I love The Mars Volta. The best modern Prog band in my opinion. I have a DVD with a 20-minute live version "Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus" that came with The Bedlam in Goliath.
My order of their albums:
1. Frances The Mute (5 Stars)
2. De-loused in the Comatorium (5 Stars)
3. The Bedlam in Goliath (4.5 Stars)
4. Amputechture (4 Stars)
5. Octahedron (4 Stars) |
Definitely one of the greatest prog bands of today... they just have so much style and flavor! I can;'t stand the fact that a lot of people just see them as another KC ripoff after listening to maybe one song... they're so different and original. I love the fact that Omar used to (and maybe still does) hate the guitar, yet he's so damn good at playing it and his stellar tones are quite breathtaking.. especially those on Amputechture. Juan and their drummers are also vital to their great sound, despite Omar and Cedric's leadership.
A DVD.. hmmm... is this still available?? I've been looking for any kind of live Mars Volta footage, and they haven't officially released any yet... I really wish they would... 
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TheClosing
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 11 2010
Status: Offline
Points: 527
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Posted: May 11 2010 at 23:02 |
AtomicCrimsonRush wrote:
I have not heard Octahedron. Is it really worth getting . I have heard mixed reactions........ that they merged into acoustic territory and its not very prog. Is that true?
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Depends on what you're looking for I suppose. It's an album that had to be done imo. Things got overly convoluted on Bedlam, and it wasn't really a progression from the prior record. With Oct they stripped things down, and it worked for the better imo. If you enjoy their simpler more emotionally gripping songs like "Televators" then you'll probably dig it a lot. It's nice to have something in their catalogue that I can just sit back, and relax to instead of being overly analytical. It still has a nice prog feel in a traditional sense with this Pink Floydish synth between tracks. Actually the cd can be compared quite nicely to PF's "Animals", which is probably my favorite of theirs. Also "Luciforms" has to be their best track yet imo.
Great record for those who just want quality music, and could care less about labels.
Edited by TheClosing - May 11 2010 at 23:03
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The Monodrone
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 21 2010
Location: Indiana, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 4489
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Posted: May 11 2010 at 23:25 |
AtomicCrimsonRush wrote:
My order is
1 Frances the Mute
2. Amputechture
3. De-loused in the Comatorium
4. The Bedlam in Goliath
I have not heard Octahedron. Is it really worth getting . I have heard mixed reactions........ that they merged into acoustic territory and its not very prog. Is that true?
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They definitely did venture into acoustic territory, but in a very tasteful way. They created a very transitional album with Octahedron, and I very much like the album. If you're a fan of softer prog, definitely check out Octahedron.. I really don't think you'l be disappointed. "With Twilight as My Guide" is a great and mysteriously dark song with some very good and concentrated vocals by Cedric. "Halo of Nembutals" and "Cotopaxi" are some of my favorite songs by the Mars Volta, and I see them as being pretty prog. Yeah, definitely check this album out!
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The Monodrone
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 21 2010
Location: Indiana, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 4489
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Posted: May 11 2010 at 23:29 |
TheClosing wrote:
AtomicCrimsonRush wrote:
I have not heard Octahedron. Is it really worth getting . I have heard mixed reactions........ that they merged into acoustic territory and its not very prog. Is that true?
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Depends on what you're looking for I suppose. It's an album that had to be done imo. Things got overly convoluted on Bedlam, and it wasn't really a progression from the prior record. With Oct they stripped things down, and it worked for the better imo. If you enjoy their simpler more emotionally gripping songs like "Televators" then you'll probably dig it a lot. It's nice to have something in their catalogue that I can just sit back, and relax to instead of being overly analytical. It still has a nice prog feel in a traditional sense with this Pink Floydish synth between tracks. Actually the cd can be compared quite nicely to PF's "Animals", which is probably my favorite of theirs. Also "Luciforms" has to be their best track yet imo.
Great record for those who just want quality music, and could care less about labels. |
Yeah, "Luciforms" is such a great song!! It sounds like something from Frances.. to me.
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Kojak
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 03 2010
Status: Offline
Points: 264
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Posted: May 12 2010 at 02:21 |
AtomicCrimsonRush wrote:
My order is
1 Frances the Mute
2. Amputechture
3. De-loused in the Comatorium
4. The Bedlam in Goliath
I have not heard Octahedron. Is it really worth getting . I have heard mixed reactions........ that they merged into acoustic territory and its not very prog. Is that true?
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That would be my order too, I think.. As for Octahedron - it is worth getting - it has some beautiful moments on it, Cedric's vocals are so tender and feminine in some of it, and there's some great lyrics, get it, I'll give it to you if I can.....
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Blacksword
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 16130
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Posted: May 12 2010 at 02:43 |
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So far, I only have 'Frances the Mute' and 'The Bedlam in Goliath' Both 3 star albums for me. Every now and then they pull something brilliant out of the bag, but sometimes I find them unlistenable. I also think they waste too much time on long passages of just atmospheric noise. I find this really irritating on FTM.
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Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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tamijo
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 06 2009
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 4287
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Posted: May 12 2010 at 09:17 |
ptkc123 wrote:
PS: I would really like to hear about any live performances!
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Was in Copenhagen last november, did a great show, mixing up tracks from diffrent periods, starting out with the first 6-7 min of "De-Loused In The Comatorium"
Had people with me not even into nither Metal nor Mars Volta, but even so, everyone was happy, and it was
clear, this was a bunch able to PLAY.
Only sad thing to say, a few Accustic guitar parts was pre. recorded, not a great way to deal with that, would be better to just leave 'em out, if not able to do it live.
But with the quality of the set in general, a minor problem.
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Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours
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Epignosis
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Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
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Posted: May 12 2010 at 09:25 |
All of their studio albums are four stars for me, some more so than others. 
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rushfan4
Special Collaborator
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Joined: May 22 2007
Location: Michigan, U.S.
Status: Online
Points: 66588
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Posted: May 12 2010 at 09:33 |
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Since this is an appreciation thread I don't wish to disparage the band here, but I do have a difficult time listening to them. When I first heard about them, it was reading a review that said that they would appeal to fans of Rush. I'm not quite sure why that is, except for being heavy prog bands and having vocalists with strange high pitched voices which take time or fortitude to get use to. At any rate, I've read where many people don't like Rush because they don't like Geddy Lee's voice. I had the same problem at first but got over it and now generally, I don't have a problem with it. Right now with The Mars Volta I am still at the stage where I do not like Cedric's voice and it detracts from me enjoying their music. Because of this I don't listen to them all that often, but I am hoping that over time one of these times I will play an album and his voice will click for me, or at least I will be able to tolerate it. I'm pretty sure that I will be able to get it to grow on me eventually, but until then, I have a hard time listening to them.
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
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Joined: July 02 2008
Location: Australia
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Posted: May 12 2010 at 09:39 |
ptkc123 wrote:
TheClosing wrote:
AtomicCrimsonRush wrote:
I have not heard Octahedron. Is it really worth getting . I have heard mixed reactions........ that they merged into acoustic territory and its not very prog. Is that true?
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Depends on what you're looking for I suppose. It's an album that had to be done imo. Things got overly convoluted on Bedlam, and it wasn't really a progression from the prior record. With Oct they stripped things down, and it worked for the better imo. If you enjoy their simpler more emotionally gripping songs like "Televators" then you'll probably dig it a lot. It's nice to have something in their catalogue that I can just sit back, and relax to instead of being overly analytical. It still has a nice prog feel in a traditional sense with this Pink Floydish synth between tracks. Actually the cd can be compared quite nicely to PF's "Animals", which is probably my favorite of theirs. Also "Luciforms" has to be their best track yet imo.
Great record for those who just want quality music, and could care less about labels. |
Yeah, "Luciforms" is such a great song!! It sounds like something from Frances.. to me. |
Thanks all who posted responses
i will get hold of a few tracks to listen to this week and see how I feel. I guess i just dont want to be disappointed as I was slightly on thir previous album 'Bedlam...'
I love the band really but they are an acquired taste
Cheers
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harmonium.ro
Special Collaborator
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Joined: August 18 2008
Location: Anna Calvi
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Posted: May 12 2010 at 09:43 |
rushfan4 wrote:
Since this is an appreciation thread I don't wish to disparage the band here, but I do have a difficult time listening to them. When I first heard about them, it was reading a review that said that they would appeal to fans of Rush. I'm not quite sure why that is, except for being heavy prog bands and having vocalists with strange high pitched voices which take time or fortitude to get use to. At any rate, I've read where many people don't like Rush because they don't like Geddy Lee's voice. I had the same problem at first but got over it and now generally, I don't have a problem with it. Right now with The Mars Volta I am still at the stage where I do not like Cedric's voice and it detracts from me enjoying their music. Because of this I don't listen to them all that often, but I am hoping that over time one of these times I will play an album and his voice will click for me, or at least I will be able to tolerate it. I'm pretty sure that I will be able to get it to grow on me eventually, but until then, I have a hard time listening to them. |
Great post  BTW, you were exploring Omar's solo output sometime in the last couple of months, did that lead anywhere?
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rushfan4
Special Collaborator
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Joined: May 22 2007
Location: Michigan, U.S.
Status: Online
Points: 66588
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Posted: May 12 2010 at 09:46 |
harmonium.ro wrote:
rushfan4 wrote:
Since this is an appreciation thread I don't wish to disparage the band here, but I do have a difficult time listening to them. When I first heard about them, it was reading a review that said that they would appeal to fans of Rush. I'm not quite sure why that is, except for being heavy prog bands and having vocalists with strange high pitched voices which take time or fortitude to get use to. At any rate, I've read where many people don't like Rush because they don't like Geddy Lee's voice. I had the same problem at first but got over it and now generally, I don't have a problem with it. Right now with The Mars Volta I am still at the stage where I do not like Cedric's voice and it detracts from me enjoying their music. Because of this I don't listen to them all that often, but I am hoping that over time one of these times I will play an album and his voice will click for me, or at least I will be able to tolerate it. I'm pretty sure that I will be able to get it to grow on me eventually, but until then, I have a hard time listening to them. |
Great post
BTW, you were exploring Omar's solo output sometime in the last couple of months, did that lead anywhere?
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Didn't really lead anywhere. Just listened to the songs that were posted and I thought they were pretty good, but I've not followed up on anything there yet.
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/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
The bedlam that is the Mars Volta.
