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By Andrew Danesi
Their previous works, 2003's De-loused In the Comatorium and 2005's Frances the Mute, were both concept albums with a single story thread. Lead vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala said in an interview with MTV that Amputechture is different in that each song is a different topic, but are all connected by a single concept. Because of this, the album feels much like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.
The album only has eight tracks and features John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing guitar on every song except for Asilos Magdalena. Each song feels like an individual album in and of itself, pausing at times and continuing in another phrase or mood. There is more of an effort to keep the songs within themselves rather than string them together, though, they do. The first single off the album, Viscera Eyes, is a big open rock track that's fast and heavy. The fat, overdriven guitar sound is the perfect compliment to the Zappa-inspired horn section. The longest track on the disc is Tetragrammaton. At 16:41 it's a powerhouse tune of heavy funk, hard rock and acid rock. Bixler-Zavala's voice sounds like a young Robert Plant taking estrogen, while Frusciante and band co-founder Omar Rodriguez-Lopez keep the wall of guitars sound solid and powerful.
The true stand out track on this album is Asilos Magdalena. The song features just Bixler-Zavala on vocals and Rodriguez-Lopez on acoustic guitar. While it's hard to say exactly what the song is about, a quick Wikipedia search said that it might be in reference to the Magdalen Asylums setup by the Catholic Church in Great Britain and Ireland in the 19th century as a means to rescue women who had formerly worked as prostitutes. It was uncovered in the early '90s that these asylums created more abuse than they saved, with reports of mass graves, rape, and mental and physical abuse. I'm sure a translation of this song will turn up on the Internet no later than a week after it's release.
The rest of the album has a tapestry of textures and sounds that seem reminiscent of the Beatles' Revolution 9 and A Day In the Life. This is a headphone album if I ever heard one. I don't mean the wimpy little white things that came with your iPod either. I'm talking about those big cans your dad has stashed away with his old record collection. If you don't have a pair, get them in some way because it's the little things that count on this album. It is that deep sonically, as well as emotionally.
This won't be the last we hear of The Mars Volta; they have already stated they wish to start recording as early as January, while on tour this coming year, and hope to go to mix by the summer. The last two years have shown a new interest in progressive music. Concept albums, rock operas and long songs may sound like clichés, but the art has become a lost one in the last 15 years. This band is one of the few helping to bring progressive rock back to the mainstream masses.
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Perpetual Toxins © 2006-2007 - All Rights Reserved |
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f the bands that have made their mark in the past four years, The Mars Volta have decided not just to make their mark, but engrave it into the music industry's bathroom wall. Since 2002, the Mars Volta have released one EP, two full-length albums and two live albums. Their third full-length album is titled Amputechture.
