The Mars Volta
 

All i can say is woah...

my friend turned me on to this band earlier this week and ive been downloading some of their shit...its fuckin' amazing to say the least...

Either you're open minded enough to love it, or you're too closed minded to appreciate it.

Anyway i think the stuffs brilliant...after you listen to their songs once or twice you almost fiend for them..its weird :hmm:

They're new album is titled De-loused in the Comatorium...and its a concept album, like Pink Floyd's 'The Wall'...it tells a progressing story through the music. My friend explained the story to me but i dont feel like going into details.

anyway if you're interested here are a few good songs to download--

Televators
Inertiatic ESP
Cicatriz ESP
This apparatus must be unearthed
Drunkship of lanterns
Concertina

They're all great songs..and once you get used to their spontanaity(sp?) they'll really start to grow on you..like a fungus :crazy:

for those who don't know, Mars Volta is made up of a couple of the Afro-wearing members of At the Drive In.
if you get a chance, go and see these guys perform live. They put on quite a show.

ah yeah, i just got a few of their songs while looking for additions to my punk cd :) . the minute i heard them i thought 'damn, they sound like at the drive in'. a little googling and yep, same vocalist and one other guy.. great music

Also check out Sparta, which contains the other half of the former At the Drive In.

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.

I think TMV EASILY came out on top in the post-ATDI band contest... I mean Sparta's OK but TMV just blow me away. I love ALL their songs, but Drunkship of Lanterns and Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of) are my favorites. They're one of the most unique bands out there, and deserve WAY more recognition than they get.

TMV is great, Sparta is farely dull. No contest.

its a good cd...the only problem i have with it is that i feel its a little too overproduced. i mean it seems to me that there would be no way to replicate that record live. but then again a live show is all about stage presence, and i guess an album should be when everything is perfect....who knows?

Student: You must not have seen them live then. They are VERY true to the sound they produced on the cd. They have their sound engineering down to an art for sure.

Definitely check these guys out live if you can. His voice is incredible.

It's astonishing how Bixler can suddenly sing. In AtDI, he's almost always reduced to de La Rocha-like howling. You can get used to it, but it's still a little grating. The guy must have gotten some serious voice lessons.

I also noticed Rick Rubin produced this, and Frusciante lended his guitar work. This is definitely a major effort by some talented and influential people.

I was driving home and listening to a college radio station when all the sudden this freakin wicked song came on. I was blown away. I heard the Dj say something about "Drunkship Lanterns."
I scribbled it down on a little piece of paper and downloaded a few songs when I got home. I am BLOWN AWAY by these guys.
Go buy the freakin CD right now. They deserve our money.
I tried to listen to AT The Drive In, but it can't compare to TMV.

Definitely worth coughing up money for this CD if you're ready for some adventurous rock. These guys are truly inspired and not afraid to experiment a little.

I bought the album for 8 bucks i think it was. part of the major labels trying to bring back sales :P.

pretty awesome stuff o mars volta.... great musicians... iv been listenin to em since their at the drive in days

cd is amazing

Best cd i've ever baught! in my cd change in my car it goes Sparta cd, TMV, At the drive in then 3 more mixed cds.

I picked it up for $10 at Best Buy, regular price. Some of the songs sound different from the ones I've heard elsewhere, and the version of Roulette Dares on the album sounds a lot better to me.

Agreed. Great album.

I just heard one of their songs today. I was amazed. Funny thing is I think my Bro In Law has been into them all along and I never bothered to ask him to show me some of their stuff haha. When we visit them on the 11th of October I'ma ask him to show me what he's got.

Asta!!

Definately good stuff. Although I also like Sparta I have to agree the Marz Volta is miles ahead of Sparta in song writing and creativity.

they're pretty good, but they aren't geniuses or anything. Mr Bungle have been making music like theirs for 10 years at least.

I really love their stuff. I'm planning to go so them on my birthday (October) in Boston.

Someone doing something before someone else doesn't really define level of musicianship, believe it or not.

And Bungle is absurdist experimentation that you're convinced you're supposed to like because it's complex and unpopular. Not rock music.

<a href="http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/598/the_mars_volta.html">The Mars Volta</a>

Asta!!

any mars volta fans?
 

it's not normally the type of music i like, but i love it. they play like they are "seasoned veterans" definitely on my favorite bands list

I downloaded a few songs a couple months ago and was very impressed. It is nice to have something very original.

there perty good
what do you guys think of s.t.u.n

I prefer Sparta to Mars Volta

I just downloaded 'Deloused in the Comatorium' and I'm sort of split on whether I really like it, or I just like it. I've only listened to it on my computer speakers so far, though. I think a CD like this warrants a good headphones-in-the-dark-with-no-destractions listen. I'll buy it the next chance I get if I decide I really like it.

I love all three ATDI bands. Mars Volta is just crazy good stuff. They have a live album comming out, and i belive it is 3 or 4 songs that will be a total of 40-60 min.

Sparta also has a new cd comming out in may that will be more electronic and along those lines.

Deloused is a great CD. Definitely worth a purchase.

Pick up the Tremulant EP if you see it. It came out before the album & has a track on it that isn't on Deloused & kicks butt. I forget what the song is called though.

Saw them live in Glasgow a few months back, and what can I say, they were every bit as good as I hoped they would be. Words can't describe the movements of Cedric, that man is possessed.

They opened up for A Perfect Circle when I saw them in San Fran on the 4th. Having had a listen to their CD which was different but enjoyable. They put a lot of energy into their performance on stage, and the crowd seemed a lot more....hyped up? during their set then APC's set.

I picked up the single televators - australasian exclusive and is is amazing, it has the single televators and then 4 amazing live songs. this is better than delouced i think, but it is just the live aspect talking.

Holy shit. I downloaded some of their songs based on everybody’s opinions. All I can say is THANKS YA'LL. Good shit.

Yeah their music is good...
I like Son et Lumiere and Inertiatic Esp how it's like Tool's Parbol and Parbola..Roulette Dares is also a good song, I haven't listened closely enough for the progressive story though. I might give it another listen.