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the mars volta are the arty, afro half of the breakthrough hardcore/rock act at the drive-in, cedric bixler on vocals and omar rodriguez on guitar. this cd was written in memory of their close friend julio venegas who died in 1996 and is actually a concept album, although it is often hard to tell this through bixler's trademark subconscious, intentionally cryptic, and often self-indulgent lyric writing in english, spanish, latin, and any combination of the 3. he has even invented words like "neocaeczaristic". if you understand all of this he then throws down about 10 metaphors per line: "ritual contrition asphyxiation half mast commute through umbilical blisters and boxcar cadavers!" so you decipher what you will from the lyrics but the passion and vocal capabilities of its creator breath life into these words to the point where it doesn't matter what he is saying, you feel what hes saying and his voice becomes just another layer in the complex soundscape that is the mars volta. the more you listen to it though you really do start to understand more and more.
on top of bixler and rodriguez the most recognizable member of the band would undoubtedly be the notorious flea of red hot chilli peppers providing the mars volta with bass services for the album. the salsa-flared "drunkship of lanterns" showcases fleas rhythmic prowess as the drummer, jon theodore from golden keeps up his end of the rhythm section with flawless improvisational percussion throughout the record.
musically the band would probably be what happened if the bastard child of pink floyd, led zeppelin, fugazi, santana, 70's salsa, and old metallica decided to make a prog band. you add to this the fact that the average song length is probably 7+ minutes and bixler's complicated vocals and this isnt exactly easy listenting. check these guys out if you appriciate music, as they create a truly unique album in this effort.
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"They don't even know what it is to be a fan. Y'know? To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts."
-Almost Famous
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