| CD REVIEW The Mars Volta |
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Band : The Mars Volta My first live experience with the The Mars Volta Group was at 013 in Tilburg in 2008. Cedric and Omar and the rest of the band had a ton of charisma. Seeing The Mars Volta was an ultimate joy and one of the highlights last year. What about their new album, well let me say Octahedron also will rank very high in my list of 2009 releases. There's a lot of traces of bands such as the Beatles, Yes, Zeppelin, King Crimson and Mashmakan, but there's a modern tinge to it, and it's still obviously The Mars Volta. All the songs are catchy, yet with enough finesse to make them survive repeated listens. All the songs are structured nicely, letting the music flow smoothly all the way. The songs are given a sense of direction and are able to control the listeners emotions, thus always pulling you into the music. The guitars, played by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez are more understated than on previous albums, that actually fit within the framework of the song, so you won't find any of the Sun Ra-inspired experimental-freespacerock-wailing like in the past, nor any of Santana-like guitarsolos on pcp. The vocals by Cedric Bixler Zavala are also used to a great advantage in conveying the emotion of the songs. They are soft and gentle when necessary, and they have a hard, Geddy Lee-edge when needed. Octahedron is a great collection of tunes and some of the best that The Mars Volta have gathered together in years. It is musically rich and involved. It is lyrically deep and emotionally intense. The level of passion is higher than that on previous albums. This is music you can sink your teeth into, rich with flavor and satisfaction. Musically, they have relaxed into a ‘less is more’ posture that is very refreshing. 97/100 Cosmicmasseur. |