OCTAHEDRON

Okay I have only listened to four of these tracks because they were leaked, but from what I've heard, Octahedron sounds like a more calm and softer version of Bedlam in Goliath which shines a light on the direction The Mars Volta are heading in. I'm hearing a lot of acoustic guitars, more ghostly guitar perversion, and Cedric's vocals are smooth. In other words, Octahedron, to me, sounds like the lovechild between De-loused and Bedlam in Goliath. The first track starts with an elevating atmospheric which is complimented with an acoustic guitar. Already, I am thinking, "Hmmm. This is different." Even though the first track is very quite and something you wouldn't expect from The Mars Volta, it's still a great opener and somehow it still "feels" like a Mars Volta song. Like something from Amputechture. One song that I'm sure some of you Mars Volta fans have heard by now, "Cotopaxi", sounds just like it came out of Bedlam. My favorite thing about this song is its timing, how it explodes out of the previous song, "With Twilight as my Guide", right when you sink into its strange combination of Televator-ish guitar tampering with the hypnotizing keyboards playing in the background. The last track of the four, "Desperate Graves", is probably my least favorite. It's another slow song right after "Cotopaxi" that has a sounds like they mixed a bunch of songs from Bedlam like "Wax Simulacra" and "Tourniquet Man" and finish it off with a mellotron. Basically, it's something we prog rockers have already heard. Overall, I would give at least this Octahedron leak a 3/5 stars, but i gave it 4/5 instead because I am pleased to see that the Mars Volta seem to be breaking away from their crazy, slimey, icky direction they were going with Bedlam and just sort of settling down a bit, though I'm not sure how these songs will sound when performed live. I don't think we'll see a change in Cedric's insane stage behavior.