The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute
 

I've been waiting almost a year and a half to hear more from The Mars Volta. Their second album is scheduled to come out on March 22nd but there's a leaked copy floating around the net already.
The album consists of 5 songs, many of which have several 'movements'. They're all supposed to flow from one to the other to form one 77 minute song. There are both English and Spanish lyrics, and like Deloused at the Comatorium, this album tells a story. The title track 'Frances the Mute' is not on the album itself, apparently it'll be released as a vinyl single before the album comes out and serves to decode the story in some way.
I've heard the leak, I like most of what I hear, but there are a lot of extended stretches with ambient sounds and distortion that just go on for far too long. I like my music psychedelic and progressive, but this may be too much, I'll reserve my final judgement for the final release.

I thought they had broken up and were just doing the Sparta thing now?

Nope, Sparta is made up of members of a band called At The Drive In. When ATDI broke up half of them formed Sparta and the other half became The Mars Volta.

Yeah, I'm fully aware of that, I was living in El Paso when ATDI were still a garage band, i had just heard a couple weeks ago that MV were calling it quits.

I have the leak. It's incredible. Epic tracks, but they stay exciting throughout unlike Deloused in the Comatorium which got a bit boring at times.

A lot of Spanish too.

Good stuff.

I disagree, i've only listened to it once but it just seems a way to make a couple of good songs stretch over a whole cd by using filler.

i started to download it today, although i heard the quality of the leak wasn't too good?
I guess not, cause it's about 80 minutes of music in a 70 mb file :p

not that it matters cause i will probably buy it anyway :)

I remember when they played at the big day out the show was mostly impromtu and they basically jammed - which was pretty cool. Although i like th sound of the addition of jazz etc :D

here's some more info on the album:

http://www.thecomatorium.com/theory/ftm_cover2.jpg

Album Information:
Album Title: Frances the Mute
Produced by Omar A Rodriguez-Lopez
Mixed by Rich Costey (http://www.mcdman.com/costey.html)
Recorded from Jan 2004-October 2004
@ various studios in Australia, Los Angeles, Puerto Rico and New York City
77 minutes long & seamless start to finish
Storm Thorgerson (http://www.stormthorgerson.co.uk/) is doing the artwork again
Lyrics will be included in the package
Album Info (http://www.goldstandardlabs.com/mars...sl96_info.html) (Source: GSL)
The Mars Volta:
Vocals: Cedric Bixler Zavala
Guitars: Omar A Rodriguez-Lopez
Drums: Jon Theodore
Bass: Juan Alderete
Keyboards: Ikey Owens
Percussion: Marcel Rodriguez
Special Guests:
Piano: Larry Harlow (http://www.larryharlow.com/)
Trumpet: Flea
Guitar: John Frusciante
Sax & Flute: Adrian Terrazas
Much more...
Tracklisting:

The a, b, c, etc. represent movements within the song.

Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus
Sarcophagi
Umbilical Syllables
Facilis Descenus Averni
Con Safo
The Widow

L’ Via L’ Viaquez

Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore
Vade Mecum
Pour Another Icepick
Pisacis (Phra-Men-Ma)
Con Safo
Cassandra Gemini
Tarantism
Plant A Nail In The Navel Stream
Faminepulse
Multiple Spouse Wounds
Sarcophagi
Please keep tracklisting discussion in the Song Meanings (http://www.thecomatorium.com/board/i...p?showforum=37) forum.

Release Dates:
CD (US): 3/1
CD (EU): 2/18
CD (AUS/NZ/SOUTH AMERICA): 2/28
CD (JPN): 2/7
Vinyl: March 22 (Source: GSL (http://www.goldstandardlabs.com/))
Other Information:

Coinciding with the album's release is that of the self-titled single, a one-track, 15-minute 12" which serves as a "decoder" for the remainder of the album. To clarify, the title track of the album is, in fact, not actually on the album.


Frances the Mute
In Thirteen Seconds
Nineteen Sank, While Six Would Swim
Five Would Grow and One was Dead

This will be released in CD form as well.

I miss At the Drive In. They were god, better than Mars Volta...

I saw the video for The Widow last night on MTV2. Holy shit that was just what I needed last night. I'm now obsessed with the song haha. The video is at their website here is the link to the video

Real Player required
The Widow

I think the song is fucking awesome. So many people are saying it's bland I dunno what the fuck they're thinking. They said they were going in a different direction and thats what they did. It's still fuckin excellent. The vocals are just :eek:!!! Check out the video.

Asta!!

Yeh, I keep hearing that song on the radio up here at college, De-loused wasn't ever heard, seems like they are coming out from underground. Which is cool, cuz these guys rock hard.

De-loused got very minor play on MTV2 when it came out...on shows like Subterranean and really late at night. Seems like MTV2 is starting to go more for the Subterranean atmosphere late at night these days. I think thats great and I hope I'm right.

Asta!!

Once i heard it leaked...i was eager to get my grubby little hands on it. Cedric's voice is just so amazing. It pretty much takes you musically where the band left you after Deloused, yet they've matured a great deal, no longer do the jam sessions make you think "hey i made up that solo the first couple days i learned to play guitar". Spanish drum patterns with both ambient and electric sounds whizzing around you. It's totally a blistering experience for the senses. I personally can't get past The Widow and L’ Via L’ Viaquez, i just want to put them on repeat, but theres so much more after it. They're just good gym songs, so it works that they are collectively about 15 minutes long. Anyway, final verdict: This album rocks, i wish i had alittle more freedom to flip around songs (five is kind of pushing it). Nonetheless, it's definetly worth buying.

don't know if this matters, but Mars Volta and THE Mars Volta are two different bands. One is based in england...the Cedric/Omar band was forced to add the "THE" in front of thier name for legal reasons.

There's a better quality rip of the Japanese retail version out there....

I just got my hands on a really good copy of the leak and it is unbelievable. Like cockmonger (hahaha) said, The Widow and L'Via L'viaquez are just incredible songs. I'm trying my hardest not to listen to all of the songs because I want at least a little bit of surprise and incentive to buy the CD (which I'm definitely doing). But, from the tracks and parts of tracks I've actually went through, I am totally blown away.


I thought Deloused was as good as they were going to get, but this may just prove me wrong.

The more i listen to it the more i like it, but will still prefer more of a standard format without all the filler. The quality of my copy which i got a while back is really good.

the filler reminds me alot of some stuff that Pink FLoyd has done (although TMV, can't even begin to grasp the floydian imagination and flow) and somewhat like the interludes of Tool's AEnema. If your not a fan of the long winding session, i suggest you give it another try. before you go to bed, just start the cd from beginning to end and lay down and chilll, it's kind of relaxing.

Anyway, De-loused was about a tightrope walker that falls to his death (at the surface) . Does anyone know what the story behind Frances the Mute is?

I've read that a former member of the band (now deceased) found this diary of a guy who killed himself, and the lyrics came out of that. Lot's of depressing imagery, etc. If you look up the album review at rollingstone.com or amazon.com, they explain.

Could someone who has bought the album recently hook a brutha up with the "Frances the Mute" single? The CD now comes with a bonus disc with the unreleased title track. I'm not buying the album again, and I don't do bit torrent or other illegal services (re: spyware, etc.)

PM me!

I was actually very surprised at how much I liked this album as I am more of a metal guy but being a guitarist I was interested after reading about it in Guitar World. Very progressive and original and not like all of the mall-core stuff nowadays. I have passed this on to a number of my musician buddyies who were avoiding it due to the hype surrounding it. They were all impressed as I was and it seems The Mars Volta has some new fans.

Wow, finally got a hold of "Frances the Mute" (the song that didn't make the album) and it's fantastic! I'm probably going to burn a new copy of the CD with that song in its place. Worth the download if you can find it. Of course, the CD is now 90 minutes long or so (FtM is nearly 15 minutes long), but hey, it makes an incredible album even better.

Sorry to keep re-bumping this, but does anyone know where the song "Frances the Mute" belongs in the album sequence. In other words, had the band not had to cut the song due to length, between what songs would it go?

Check thecomatorium.com. It's like a hardcore Mars Volta fan message board.

I'm one of those people that thinks most of what the mars volta does is completely contrived, but I still enjoy their music. However, I don't enjoy fraces the mute whatsoever. Hardly any of it sounds good to me or makes me feel anything, and no matter how complex the music is or how well played it is, that is what matters. The best part of the album for me is the first 30 seconds.

Mars Volta makes some really interesting music. A buddy of mine got me interested in them this summer, and I listened through (I think it's) their new CD. Don't usually like rock, but this seems to be quality stuff.