The Mars Volta - Amputechture - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Derwood · 09-13-2006, 12:59 PM

Came out yesterday. I'm only about 3 tracks in. Omar and Cedric can do no wrong!

This album really flew under the radar. Rolling Stone's "Fall Music Preview" doesn't mention a single thing about it.

Da Munk · 09-13-2006, 03:35 PM

I had really been looking forward to this and after having listened to it a couple times I have to say I am not disappointed with what I hear. Some of the songs lack the energy that I'm used to from The Mars Volta, but they're still great in their own right.

Manic_Skafe · 09-13-2006, 05:43 PM

Their last album was terrible and they tried too hard.

I'm not the least bit interested but I'll download it in hope that it's more reminiscent of their older work.

lindalove · 09-13-2006, 08:05 PM

Woah. I had no idea they were putting out a new album. I woulda had it last month if I had known I shall have it tomorrow.

What are the track lengths like?

Derwood · 09-14-2006, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lindalove

Woah. I had no idea they were putting out a new album. I woulda had it last month if I had known I shall have it tomorrow.

What are the track lengths like?

long. I was listening in the car and thought I was on track 5 or 6 (based on breaks in the music) but it was still Track 2.

noahfor · 09-14-2006, 08:38 PM

i think it's pretty boring, there are good parts, but only one good song, vicarious atonement, which is just a long guitar solo

i've had it for a few months, so this isn't just a first reaction

it's better than francis the mute.

i guess day of baphomets qualifies as a good song

Derwood · 09-15-2006, 06:27 AM

Interesting assessments. I, for one, think Francis the Mute is FAR superior to Deloused in the Comatorium, but I'm a Pink Floyd fan, so I like my songs long and freeflowing (compared to Deloused's fairly conservative "verse-chorus-verse" song structures). I've only heard the new one once through, so it's early to judge. I liked the departure on Asilos Magdalena of stripping down to just Cedric and a Spanish guitar.

PulpMind · 09-19-2006, 01:17 PM

From The Stranger (local free alterna weekly in Seattle.. check www.thestranger.com ).

THE MARS VOLTA
Amputechture
(Universal)

1/2 of a star out of 5

The Mars Volta love you, but they've chosen prog (and jazz fusion, and dub, and "sound manipulation"). It's no fun to admit, but your ménage à trois with Cedric and Omar has seen much better days, and it's only going to get worse the longer you drag it out.

The Mars Volta have always been selfish, and self-indulgent, lovers, favoring masturbatory solos and lyrical nonsense to actual songs. And just when you feel like you're getting close, they pull away again. Amputechture isn't an unexpected infidelity, but merely the latest step in their steady retreat from the world of listenable music.

Okay, this is hard to say, but the Mars Volta don't care about you anymore. I know you spent a lot of money (and hours) on all that vinyl, but this is not the genre-busting postband that seduced you with the Tremulant EP or that awesome first song on De-Loused in the Comatorium. Those were good times, weren't they? But, listen, it's over.

"Vicarious Atonement" opens Amputechture with over seven minutes of noodly guitars, sweeping background noises, and no drums. After that laborious introduction comes "Tetragrammaton," a 16-minute epic whose catchy moment occurs 10:22 minutes in. The entire album is a bath of midtempo "epics," lukewarm guitar arpeggios, digitally delayed Spanglish, ring modulation, pitch-shifted congas, etc.

In the absence of hooks, comprehensible lyrics, or visceral energy, we're left with bloat, free-jazz jamming, and an impenetrable world of self-referential non sequitur. Amputechture is the Mars Volta's first album without an overarching narrative concept, and, although their previous plot lines were hardly discernible without the Cliffs Notes, this one lacks even the vaguest lyrical entry point.

The tragedy is that the Mars Volta are an undeniably skilled ensemble, but they've become Omar's old one-armed scissor (remember those halcyon days of understandable metaphor?), a sharp, but ultimately useless blade, unable to cut it, and, seemingly, unable to cut it out. ERIC GRANDY

Derwood · 09-19-2006, 03:49 PM

HA HA HA. So, was it Omar or Cedric who slept with ERIC GRANDY's girlfriend?

hiredgun · 10-07-2006, 09:11 PM

It took me a while to warm up to it, but I eventually came to enjoy Frances the Mute as much or more than De-Loused in the Comatorium, which I liked immensely.

I haven't yet heard Amputechture (will pick it up soon), but based on this thread, I still have reason to hope.

heroquest · 10-27-2006, 01:06 PM

such a terrible band. just painful.

Krycheck · 10-27-2006, 08:38 PM

^Too each their own

I love this album. It sounds like a combination of of Francis and DeLoused. There's not alot of filler music/noise like in Francis. Asilos Magdalena and Viscara Eyes are my favorite songs.

4/5 from me

Spektr · 11-14-2006, 12:44 AM

I have an expectation of the Mars Volta that I also have of bands such as Radiohead, to name one. These are two examples of artists whose respective progressions of music (albums, live concerts, etc) tend to produce constantly shifting experiments that follow no cohesive trends or genres. These bands attempt to build and explore musical paths, not adhere to one indefinitely. At least, as I said, that is my personal outlook on music.

Which brings me to Amputechre:

I gave it several listens and tried really hard to find something unique. Lyrically, as expected, Cedric delivers. All kinds of cryptic religious references and assorted weirdness. Apart from that, I think that the album is immensely overproduced and ,for lack of a better phrase, too structured. Deloused... and Francis the Mute displayed experimentation and differentiation from the norm through some of the most meticulous and complex musicianship of the time. Amputechre fails to expand upon the band's talent and opts instead for an easily accessible, simple (considering their abilities) sound that is a poor testament to what a band like this can create. This album should have been weirder.

Derwood · 11-14-2006, 06:56 AM

I wouldn't call the album accessible, but it IS broken down into chunks that don't really flow like Frances did. In a way, it's more like Deloused in that respect. Deloused was a string of songs, while Frances felt (especially after The Widow) like one 45 minute song. Amputechture is back to individual songs again. I like the disc, but it's nowhere close to Frances for me.

09-13-2006, 12:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
Derwood Who You Crappin? Location: Everywhere and Nowhere	The Mars Volta - Amputechture Came out yesterday. I'm only about 3 tracks in. Omar and Cedric can do no wrong! This album really flew under the radar. Rolling Stone's "Fall Music Preview" doesn't mention a single thing about it. __________________ "You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

09-13-2006, 05:43 PM	#3 (permalink)
Manic_Skafe More Than You Expect Location: Queens	Their last album was terrible and they tried too hard. I'm not the least bit interested but I'll download it in hope that it's more reminiscent of their older work. __________________ "Porn is a zoo of exotic animals that becomes boring upon ownership." -Nersesian

09-14-2006, 08:38 PM	#6 (permalink)
noahfor Addict	i think it's pretty boring, there are good parts, but only one good song, vicarious atonement, which is just a long guitar solo i've had it for a few months, so this isn't just a first reaction it's better than francis the mute. i guess day of baphomets qualifies as a good song Last edited by noahfor; 09-14-2006 at 08:41 PM..

09-15-2006, 06:27 AM	#7 (permalink)
Derwood Who You Crappin? Location: Everywhere and Nowhere	Interesting assessments. I, for one, think Francis the Mute is FAR superior to Deloused in the Comatorium, but I'm a Pink Floyd fan, so I like my songs long and freeflowing (compared to Deloused's fairly conservative "verse-chorus-verse" song structures). I've only heard the new one once through, so it's early to judge. I liked the departure on Asilos Magdalena of stripping down to just Cedric and a Spanish guitar. __________________ "You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

09-19-2006, 03:49 PM	#9 (permalink)
Derwood Who You Crappin? Location: Everywhere and Nowhere	HA HA HA. So, was it Omar or Cedric who slept with ERIC GRANDY's girlfriend? __________________ "You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

09-13-2006, 03:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
Da Munk Crazy	I had really been looking forward to this and after having listened to it a couple times I have to say I am not disappointed with what I hear. Some of the songs lack the energy that I'm used to from The Mars Volta, but they're still great in their own right.

09-13-2006, 08:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
lindalove Registered User	Woah. I had no idea they were putting out a new album. I woulda had it last month if I had known I shall have it tomorrow. What are the track lengths like?

09-19-2006, 01:17 PM	#8 (permalink)
PulpMind Addict Location: Portland	From The Stranger (local free alterna weekly in Seattle.. check www.thestranger.com ). THE MARS VOLTA Amputechture (Universal) 1/2 of a star out of 5 The Mars Volta love you, but they've chosen prog (and jazz fusion, and dub, and "sound manipulation"). It's no fun to admit, but your ménage à trois with Cedric and Omar has seen much better days, and it's only going to get worse the longer you drag it out. The Mars Volta have always been selfish, and self-indulgent, lovers, favoring masturbatory solos and lyrical nonsense to actual songs. And just when you feel like you're getting close, they pull away again. Amputechture isn't an unexpected infidelity, but merely the latest step in their steady retreat from the world of listenable music. Okay, this is hard to say, but the Mars Volta don't care about you anymore. I know you spent a lot of money (and hours) on all that vinyl, but this is not the genre-busting postband that seduced you with the Tremulant EP or that awesome first song on De-Loused in the Comatorium. Those were good times, weren't they? But, listen, it's over. "Vicarious Atonement" opens Amputechture with over seven minutes of noodly guitars, sweeping background noises, and no drums. After that laborious introduction comes "Tetragrammaton," a 16-minute epic whose catchy moment occurs 10:22 minutes in. The entire album is a bath of midtempo "epics," lukewarm guitar arpeggios, digitally delayed Spanglish, ring modulation, pitch-shifted congas, etc. In the absence of hooks, comprehensible lyrics, or visceral energy, we're left with bloat, free-jazz jamming, and an impenetrable world of self-referential non sequitur. Amputechture is the Mars Volta's first album without an overarching narrative concept, and, although their previous plot lines were hardly discernible without the Cliffs Notes, this one lacks even the vaguest lyrical entry point. The tragedy is that the Mars Volta are an undeniably skilled ensemble, but they've become Omar's old one-armed scissor (remember those halcyon days of understandable metaphor?), a sharp, but ultimately useless blade, unable to cut it, and, seemingly, unable to cut it out. ERIC GRANDY

10-07-2006, 09:11 PM	#10 (permalink)
hiredgun Addict	It took me a while to warm up to it, but I eventually came to enjoy Frances the Mute as much or more than De-Loused in the Comatorium, which I liked immensely. I haven't yet heard Amputechture (will pick it up soon), but based on this thread, I still have reason to hope.

10-27-2006, 01:06 PM	#11 (permalink)
heroquest Tilted	such a terrible band. just painful.

10-27-2006, 08:38 PM	#12 (permalink)
Krycheck Sultana ruined my evil persona Location: Los Angeles	^Too each their own I love this album. It sounds like a combination of of Francis and DeLoused. There's not alot of filler music/noise like in Francis. Asilos Magdalena and Viscara Eyes are my favorite songs. 4/5 from me __________________ His pants are tight...but his morals are loose!!

11-14-2006, 12:44 AM	#13 (permalink)
Spektr Copacetic Location: Nati	I have an expectation of the Mars Volta that I also have of bands such as Radiohead, to name one. These are two examples of artists whose respective progressions of music (albums, live concerts, etc) tend to produce constantly shifting experiments that follow no cohesive trends or genres. These bands attempt to build and explore musical paths, not adhere to one indefinitely. At least, as I said, that is my personal outlook on music. Which brings me to Amputechre: I gave it several listens and tried really hard to find something unique. Lyrically, as expected, Cedric delivers. All kinds of cryptic religious references and assorted weirdness. Apart from that, I think that the album is immensely overproduced and ,for lack of a better phrase, too structured. Deloused... and Francis the Mute displayed experimentation and differentiation from the norm through some of the most meticulous and complex musicianship of the time. Amputechre fails to expand upon the band's talent and opts instead for an easily accessible, simple (considering their abilities) sound that is a poor testament to what a band like this can create. This album should have been weirder.

11-14-2006, 06:56 AM	#14 (permalink)
Derwood Who You Crappin? Location: Everywhere and Nowhere	I wouldn't call the album accessible, but it IS broken down into chunks that don't really flow like Frances did. In a way, it's more like Deloused in that respect. Deloused was a string of songs, while Frances felt (especially after The Widow) like one 45 minute song. Amputechture is back to individual songs again. I like the disc, but it's nowhere close to Frances for me. __________________ "You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel