THE MARS VOLTA

(Quick Review)

Nocturniquet is the Mars Volta's sixth studio LP, as well as their last. Not the strongest ending such a great and innovating band could have accomplished, which makes it even more of a disappointment the fact that the band now seizes to exist. Nevertheless, it was good to see the band going for a more straightforward, song-oriented direction, which as consequence requires more focus on the songwriting. And the band hasn't lost much of their talent, both in the above mentioned department as well as in the musicianship one, because it's obvious these artists are still technical beasts when it comes to deliver solid instrumentation. The group can still pull great songs such as the opener 'The Whip Hand', 'Lapochka', the more soothing 'Empty Vessels Make The Loudest Sound', and overall, a pretty solid, concise, and focused album that, although not thoroughly enjoyable all the way through, is satisfying as a whole.

It is instantly obvious after listening that the members of the band are very skilled in their playing. The drums really stand out, and blow me away each time I listen. The song-writing talent is also very strong.

This album contains a little bit of outside influence from other genres such as Latin and electronic (but not nearly as much as what's explored on Frances the Mute). This makes for a unique and captivating experience. After listening to this album, if it's a bit too 'safe' for you, then try FtM.

The lyrics are quite odd abstract (something I was used to after Frances). Inertiatic ESP features lyrics such as: Last night I heard lepers Flinch like birth defects Its musk was fecal in origin As the words dribbled of its chin The lyrics suit the mysterious and foreign sound of the music very well.

The album is remarkably consistent, with not a weak track. However, stand out tracks for me include: Son Et Lumiere, Inertiatic ESP, Roulette Dares and Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt. Televators is another great song, with a strong hook and a quieter feel than the rest of the album. "Take the Veil?" is the most adventurous song on the album, and gives a taste of what's to come on following albums by this band.

My overall view of this album is a fantastic debut by a fantastic band. Anyone who hasn't heard it should check it out immediately.

The music on "Noctourniquet" is as always a experimental rock and a new adventurous chapter in the discography of The Mars Volta. Few bands on today's music scene are as adventurous and boundary bending as The Mars Volta. They always set out to create an album that doesn't sound like the last one, and that's admirable IMO. Sometimes they focus a bit too much on experimentation instead of focusing on some of the otherwise beautiful melodies they also write, but when those two elements go hand in hand these guys produce magic. A track like "Lapochka" stands out as an example of that. Examples of the more "frustrating" tracks to my ears are "The Whip Hand" and "In Absentia".

The musicianship is as usual on a very high level. The band are tight and at times virtuosic. Cedric Bixler-Zavala sings varied and with passion. His high pitched singing style is applied to the music in the right doses.

"Noctourniquet" is a bit of a mixed bag to my ears. Too much of the album drown in "over the top" experimental guitar/keyboard layers, odd rythms and memorability and accessibility suffer from it. There are still some beautifully crafted melodies on the album but too often it sounds like the at times abrasive instrumental parts of the music aren't sensible to the more delicate vocal parts. The Mars Volta have always made busy music and that's of course part of their appeal to fans of experimental rock, but I prefer when they are a bit more restrained. Even those moments aren't completely convincing everytime either though. The parts where they strike the right balance still makes "Noctourniquet" an intriguing and enjoyable album though and I'd say a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved. It's not their best by a long shot though.

The album reportedly had a difficult genesis, with tracks begun but then shelved for the better part of three (!) years, before a commitment was made to wrap it all up. So it's hardly surprising that the original impetus was lost, and it shows. Songs like 'In Absentia', 'Lapochka' and the aptly titled 'Dyslexicon' give the impression that the left hand of the band was working at cross-purposes to the right.

Stylistically the album continues a trend toward shorter songs, almost but (thankfully) not quite conventional in structure and delivery. What's missing is the collaborative passion of earlier efforts, and (with a few worthwhile exceptions) the memorable hooks. The haunting ballad 'Trinkets Pale of Moon' is a standout; also the beautifully named 'Empty Vessels Make the Loudest Sound'. And 'The Malkin Jewel', the first single culled from the album, is an obvious highlight, although for whatever odd reason the song reminds me of the '80s goth rockers Bauhaus (circa 'She's In Parties'). Vocally, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Peter Murphy are, if not exactly twins, at least long-lost second cousins switched at birth.

An unstable personnel roster didn't help the project, either. New drummer Deantoni Parks is the most audible weak link, although I'm certainly not trying to cast him as a scapegoat. His clunky, drunken, off-kilter rhythms perfectly compliment a song like 'The Malkin Jewel', but elsewhere throughout the album his efforts were politely camouflaged by lots of studio alchemy, and probably for good reason.

No surprise there: The Mars Volta has always dressed its music in the latest (and often most garish) state-of-the-art wardrobe. But the more calculated psychedelia of 'Noctourniquet' lacks the sometimes volcanic creativity erupting from their other albums. The idiosyncrasies here seem oddly forced and artificial, imposed on the material after the fact to hide the wrinkles in master tapes already three years out of date.

Maybe the album's title is entirely fitting. Or maybe, after a handful of wildly energetic albums, the band simply burned itself out. Perfectly understandable, after the auto-da-fé of 'The Bedlam inGoliath' in 2008...it just took a couple of albums for the ashes to finally settle. But don't count them out too soon; there might still be a phoenix in their future.

This album is really one of the bands best achievements. Being very much inspired by Krautrock, the band adopted a more free and experimental sound...now this is true, but even so, all I could think whilst listening to this album is that even though it has a lot more eclectic and art rock styles, the bands songwriting and musicianship has seemed to improve.

While there last album, Octahedron was more of a straight forward album, this album seems to have a similar style, but with more experimentations. And it really works. The songwriting style has improved, with the standard strophic structure being used within the songs, but a lot more interesting musical ornaments are added to the songs.

Lyrically at times, they seem a lot more defined and normal, but with hints of odd metaphors and creative language. The album, being a concept album really does add to the tone of the album, especially the way the songs all roll into each other. Vocally, Cedric really shows off how versatile his voice is on this album, and proves that he is not just a one trick pony.

Instrumentally, the band have ditched the horns and the jazzy instruments for more synths, keyboards and a lot more odd instrumentation. The guitar playing has also seemed to be a lot let less flashy and more straight to the point.

1. The Whip Hand ? What an amazing way to start off an album. You think it's going nowhere, and it just explodes in your face. Quite anthemic, and the dirty keyboard sounds rule. 10/10

2. Aegis ? Another quite anthemic song with a bit of a slower tempo. One of the more easier accessible songs. 9/10

3. Dyslexicon ? One of the more eclectic songs on the album. I love the use of spoken word in the song. One of the albums more dramatic moments. 8/10

4. Empty Vessels Make The Loudest Sound ? Ok, now this song surprised me. Usually when the Volta do a ballad type song, there is still a very eclectic and usually eerie nature behind it, but on this track, it's just very beautiful, with no real eerie moments. Beautiful arrangement. 10/10

5. The Malkin Jewel ? The albums single, and the song that really grabbed my attention. Very Tom Waits sounding, with some clangy guitars and thumping drums, and some very evil lyrics too. The ending is quite beautiful too. 10/10

6. Lapochka ? An amazing song with some great catchy moments. Love the use of electronics and synths. 10/10

7. In Absentia ? Ok...now this song takes a while to get used to. At the start I was thinking, "this is very noisy." I mean it was pretty enough and had some nice slow melodies, but the song was really just a bit too noisy, and the vocals sounded like they where recorded through a Sega Mega Drive. Then it gets to the end of the song...then the song makes sense. Give this song a listen till the end. If you turn it off, you will regret it. 9/10

8. Imago ? One of the more catchier songs on the album. It seems the shorter songs really do make the biggest impact. 9/10

9. Molochwalker ? A return to the older Volta sound. Great chorus and some great instrumentation and virtuoustic passages. It's good to hear them retracing their steps. 9/10

10. Trinkets Pale Of Moon ? A very eerie acoustic song. Very reminiscent of Asilos Magdelana. The electronic sounds also add to the eerie nature of the song. 9/10

11. Vedemalady ? Another slow and more relaxing song. This is probably one of the more meditative moments on the album. A very relaxing song. 9/10

12. Noctourniquet ? Who is Solmon? Now that is the question. A great song with some cool instrumentation. 9/10

13. Zed & 2 Naughts ? The drumming in this song is pretty intense and crazy. Love the chorus...mainly cause my name is said in the song, and turns out I'm a saint. 10/10

CONCLUSION: Definitely their best album since Amputechture. This album is a different step and direction for the band, and it proved that these guys can only get more and more exciting musically. Hopefully there next album won't take as long to make.

8.8/10

"No there's no light, In the darkest of your furthest reaches "

The first Mars Volta album was something incredible,one of the albums I respect the most and then I listened to Frances The Mute and I could see a evolution/progression on every respective elements of the band! Well the construction has a high level of musicianship that is off the hook! The all composition of this album makes me feel happy and know that we really have good musicians on this "modern era",well let's start the review!

1- Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus: The album starts with this prologue of 13 minutes,a psychedelic song and a song that Cedric has strongly harsh vocals! incredible one! 9/10

2- The Widow: The most or one of the most famous songs of TMV,I'm talking about a incredible soulfull ballad with a malignant feeling! This is also (on the composition of the album) a rest from the first track and a opening for one more big track of TMV. 9/10

3-L'vi L'viaquez: IMO the most vibrant song of TMV and one of my favorites,we are talking about a masterpiece that lenght's 12 minutes!Featuring awesome spanish lyrics and returning to english,also mexican sounds on the mix. so good. 10/10

4-Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore: Very boring track,I dislike this one but this song helps the construction of the album resting one more time and opening a triad 4/10

5-Cassandra Gemini: One of my favorite songs of this album! I always feel so good to ear this song, it was the power to give me good feelings 9/10

6-Tarantism: The continuation of Cassandra Gemini,starting with a incredible solo by Omar Rodriguez and ending up with a amazing psychedelic vibe 9/10

7-Plant A Nail In The Navel Stream: The end of the triad,starting up on a relax sound that goes embracing a crazy tone. Interesting song 8/10

8-Famine Pulse: When the triad ends,we start a resting and relaxing part of the album, with 3 songs being the first Famine Pulse. 6/10

9-Pisacis (Phra-men-ma): Instrumental track,groove,relaxing and psycho are the adjectives to this one 6/10

10-Con Safo: What? incredible!!! this is a jazz song from nowhere ! Terrazas and his great skills on the sax gave a magnificant jam with everything...astonishing. 9/10

11-Multiple Spouse Wounds: "No There is no light! In darkest of your furthest reaches" it's the phrase that opens this song and the most important of the album! short and very good song 9/10

12-Sarchoghagi: This is the last 54 seconds of the first track of the album and in a consequence is the epilogue of the album. 5/19

What's great about this album is that it sounds very reminiscent of Bedlam only it's songs flow more like Deloused making it some kind of hybrid between prog rock greatness and avant alt-rock. Heck, there are even some electronic music elements in this record, moments that recall memories of Jeremy Michael-Ward's work with the band whom they undoubtedly took a ton of influence from.

It's a record seething with emotion and like most TMV records uses that to make the songs memorable and fantastic-sounding. It's a formula that's been working for years now but with Noctourniquet it seems very much refreshed, like this is a new era for TMV. I can't complain, whatever they did with this record works, I'm still singing "THAT'S WHEN I DISCONNECT FROM YOU" in my head endlessly.

An album, that I'm having trouble describing sure, but a great record nonetheless. I'd go as far as saying this is a good introduction to TMV, right up there with Deloused.

5 star record no doubt.

This starts out as possibly the worst TMV album ever recorded. Nothing of note happens, until...

Empty Vessels Make the Loudest Sound hearkens back to the melodic glory of the former albums, with fine Frippy guitars and the yearning for...empty vessels to fill, just to hear the fine noise that emits from therein. The solo guitar limning the melody, the voices riding it over it, the pure echoing guitars in the background, "searching for a lighthouse in the fog", until all erupts. The melodic skill at this point is just in their blood and it seems almost illegally easy, and it just wafts from the vocals to the guitars, back and forth.

Really, you listen to songs like these, they walk up to you on the street, and in spite of their somewhat questionable looks, well you can't help but sight unseen buy a bridge from them when it's offered. It'd be a good bridge too, and they'd throw in an unforgettable hook. That's how these guys work when they are on.

There are many similar moments here. That's the problem...they are moments.

You see and hear them coming, almost instinctually, and get across the street as soon as possible to avoid the inevitable mugging, the bloody mouth, the semi-concussion, and the missing wallet, not to mention how you're going to explain that long blonde hair on your jacket to your wife.

Still a solid album, I'd say.