The Mars Volta - Amputechture

JC 2K3

Dunno if I'm allowed to talk about it until it's officially released, but I just "aquired" it and am in the process of listening to it now. Now I'm halfway through the second track, Tetragrammaton(16:43) and this is sounding much more progressive than Deloused or Frances, it's reminding me of Yes a bit. There's a lot of random and sudden tempo and atmospheric changes which is a bit weird, but hey, the great thing about this band is the weirdness. Sounds like it'll be a big grower.

Anyway, those are just my initial thoughts, I'm now at 12:51 on Tetragrammaton, it's actually sounding really Yes-like now....

Any other thoughts? I presume quite a lot of fans will have it by now(I'm still buying it the second it comes out though).

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

new album already? ye gods

i wish i still cared.. I really do.. but at least it will probably be released and easily available by the time I do bother to check it out

The Free Man

best album ever. i'm really in love with it.

viscera eyes is up on http://www.myspace.com/themarsvolta absolutely legend track

eddyc

Wow this album is the shi*!!!!! Really likin that Day of the Baphomets track, and the last flamenco style track, !!!!Quality!!!! The Mars Volta in my opinion are one of a handful of bands that are coming out with new rock music, they truelly push the envelope.

Davei141

The Free Man wrote:

best album ever. i'm really in love with it.

viscera eyes is up on http://www.myspace.com/themarsvolta absolutely legend track

Ah man, that track is horrible. Starts good but doesnt go anywhere.

randomname

When is the official release date for the album?

Matthewthebig

It's an improvement on Frances, imho anyways, but I think that Deloused pisses all over it

PiE

They were sh*te when they started, and they're still sh*te now.

As someone so eloquently put it on this forum at some time long, long ago; "**** for the sake of being ****."

garthv

Fùcking brilliant album, still no deloused though,
Official release date is August 22nd so this thread will be closed pretty soon!

eddyc

PiE wrote:

They were sh*te when they started, and they're still sh*te now.

As someone so eloquently put it on this forum at some time long, long ago; "**** for the sake of being ****."

Its true they have a lot of **** in they're live shows and if they should cut all the crap out of francis the mute and made it an e.p.
But they do have moments of true genius.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

heh, that's a good description.. but I've heard the same said of dEUS and I love them.. and I'm a fan of the occasional **** myself.. so maybe **** isn't all that bad.

**** on gentlmen, **** on.

John

I do believe it was my phrase and I agree, **** is fine but it's something you do on your own

JC 2K3

Em... can someone please define what "****" means in this context? As in the lyrics are too complex, the songs are too grandoise etc. ?

John

**** being "I can play in more timings, scales and styles than you can." Listening to them, it sounds like they try to make things as complex as possible leading to the songs suffering as a result. I can handle complex music but all good complex music tends to come naturally and The Mars Volta sound very, very forced. Not all **** is bad **** but this **** is annoying **** and its dull ****, in summary it's **** ****. It's like all those **** prog rock bands that everyone has (rightly) forgotten about.

JC 2K3

I hope you don't mean ALL prog rock when you say that...

I know what you're getting at, but where do you draw the line between "****" and an interesting, technically good piece of music, I mean is much of classical music "****"?

The Mars Volta don't strike me as being "****", I mean most of their songs revolve around catchy hooks(Inertiatic Esp - "Now I'm Lost", Roulette Dares - "Exoskelatal junction at the railroad delayed", Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus - "Who do you trust" etc.), so it's not like they're deliberately trying to be unaccessable. They have some instrumental sections that go on for a while in some songs but I enjoy them, singing isn't really massively important to me(Although I love singers who have a high range like Robert Plant, Geddy Lee, Shannon Hoon, Axl Rose etc. and hence love Cedric's voice) and I enjoy the creative guitar, keyboard and drum work. On Frances there is a bit of "****" I guess if you count all the pointless noise, but Deloused doesn't have much of this and is a great album, I find the variety on the tracks interesting rather than annoying and I can't see how it's forced. TMV do have some simple songs(The Widow, Televators(one of their best), Inertiatic Esp etc.).

I mean if you want simple, straight to the point music then listen to punk. If you want complex, experimental music with crypic lyrics that resembles classical music in terms of movements and long songs listen to prog rock. I myself listen to both depending on my mood.

meh...

(I think I do this "justifying the things I like" thing too much...)

PiE

JC 2K3 wrote:

(I think I do this "justifying the things I like" thing too much...)

Indeed.

They're still sh*te though.

John

JC 2K3 wrote:

I hope you don't mean ALL prog rock when you say that...

No just the really awful ones like Webb and Greenslade.

I know what you're getting at, but where do you draw the line between "****" and an interesting, technically good piece of music, I mean is much of classical music "****"?

Some of it is but I don't think all technically good music is ****, I love a lot of very techinical music. It's just that some bands may have loads of technical talent but little in the way of utilising it in an interesting or original way. For me, The Mars Volta fall into this category.

I mean if you want simple, straight to the point music then listen to punk. If you want complex, experimental music with crypic lyrics that resembles classical music in terms of movements and long songs listen to prog rock. I myself listen to both depending on my mood.

Of course, variety is the spice of life

magpie

To be honest with you I can't detect any difference between the Mars Volta and this guy http://xyzwebdesign.com/sanbass/video.html

John

Post of the day there Magpie!

The Free Man

John2 wrote:

I can handle complex music but all good complex music tends to come naturally and The Mars Volta sound very, very forced.

sorry mate i have to disagree with you. i think theyre the most natural, most free type of prog thats out there. if you compare them to another prog style band thats out now, someone like tool, where their timings are as complex as tmv, but they have a metronome like precision, which to me sounds more forced.

John

Nah, I'd take Tool any day

Crucifix

Haven't gotten my mitts on this yet. I liked Deloused and dislike Francis. On Deloused I think they had good hooks and some good instrumentals, and only the occasional annoying bit (that one otherwise nice song has a sizeable instrument section most of which is just swoopy synth noises), but on Francis they just seemed all over the place to me, and nothing on it grabbed me. Hopefully Amputechture will be good.

JC 2K3

Crucifix wrote:

Haven't gotten my mitts on this yet. I liked Deloused and dislike Francis. On Deloused I think they had good hooks and some good instrumentals, and only the occasional annoying bit (that one otherwise nice song has a sizeable instrument section most of which is just swoopy synth noises), but on Francis they just seemed all over the place to me, and nothing on it grabbed me. Hopefully Amputechture will be good.

Cygnus... Vismud Cygnus was the only thing that really stood out for me on Frances, what a fúcking song.... Although I skip the last 3/4 minutes always, the noise at the end is annoying and totally unnecessary.

Deloused, however, is brilliant.


I've been listening to Piper at the Gates of Dawn a lot since Syd died and haven't had a chance to listen to Amputechture properly yet... I think I've payed my tribute now though, so Amputechture tomorrow.

crybaby

have they dropped the silly lyrics yet ?

interesting band i dunno if im capable of taking a full album though

JC 2K3

crybaby wrote:

have they dropped the silly lyrics yet ?

I love the lyrics, there's always something to be deciphered

bluto63

I look forward to the album. Love deloused, didn't really think much of Frances though

EDIT: I just listened to Viscera eyes and it's a good track! Which is a good sign because i never really like most music when i first hear it

Giblet

People who call it **** aren't listening properly, or more likely, refuse to listen properly. The music isn't that complicated.

The Free Man

right on.

carlowboy

Crucifix wrote:

Haven't gotten my mitts on this yet. I liked Deloused and dislike Francis. On Deloused I think they had good hooks and some good instrumentals, and only the occasional annoying bit (that one otherwise nice song has a sizeable instrument section most of which is just swoopy synth noises), but on Francis they just seemed all over the place to me, and nothing on it grabbed me. Hopefully Amputechture will be good.

Put it this way, if you liked Deloused and didn't like Frances, then maybe the new album isn't for you. IMO, it is far more leftfield than Frances the Mute. I did prefer Frances the Mute though.

Giblet

I think Jon has left the band, they are touring with a new drummer.

PiE

Giblet wrote:

People who call it **** aren't listening properly, or more likely, refuse to listen properly.

Keep telling yourself that if it helps.

I'm sure Orson fans think the same thing.

Giblet

Nah, It's true. People always dismiss stuff as **** when they think it's too complicated, this is especially true of mediocre musicians. I'm sure the foo fighters have a new album coming out so it's ok! :cool:

honru

I'm not fond of these guys at all. They were good live when I saw them at Witnness a while back but their albums just aren't enjoyable to listen to. Overcompensate with all this pretencious... ****.

At the Drive-In were simple, and it worked much better.

PiE

Giblet wrote:

Nah, It's true. People always dismiss stuff as **** when they think it's too complicated, this is especially true of mediocre musicians.

But I never said it was complicated, 'cos it's not; it's just ****.

I'm not a musician, but I know rubbish when I hears it.

Giblet

It's not just ****, that's just a word thrown around by people who don't really understand what's going on. "Oh it's really fast drums and some atonal stuff over a weird time sig, **** tbh"

You can say "I don't like it" but this whole "pfft ****" thing makes you look stupid.

PiE

I've never actually heard anyone call a band "****" in general, I'd only heard it on this website. Thought it quite apt.

Thanks for clearing up what I'm allowed say about bands though.

Giblet

As long as you continue to tell everyone what's rubbish and ****

The Free Man

im with ya on this giblet. fools never learn. whats this about jon leaving? did u hear that on the comatorium? i think its a vicious rumour..

edit: i just read about it. this is the worst day ever

John

They're ****. That's my opinion. It's not complicated, it's not clever, it doesn't sound any good or interesting, they're making music for themselves and not for others to enjoy listening to, i.e. ****. And you're all perverts for listening in

Giblet

Hey I enjoy it so you're wrong at least on one point

And they make it for themselves? Jesus, that's hardly surprising now is it?

The Free Man

jeez john2, and youre trying to get an experimental forum going?? kinda ironic.

jon dont leave TMV, i love you!!!!! :(:(

PiE

Any discussion of TMV in an experimental music forum should immediately warrant a ban. Fact.

The Free Man

guess ill be banned so...
screw the forum, TMV are great enough to have their own forum!

ignorance seems to be bliss to a lot of you.

eddyc

Yeah I used to be an infidel , I thought the mars volta were 'interesting' but never anything to write home about, I was ,and suppose still am a major fan of tool, which for me is the pinnacle of prog rock so far, after giving 'francis the mute' a few listens, basically because I had nothing else to listen to at the time, I was well and truelly amazed, this band do grow on you, and for that reason I believe a lot of people wont get into them, simply becouse you kind of have to invest a bit of time to, Its well worth it, I'd recomment anyone that thinks this band are '****' to put on 'cynus vismund cygnus' and really listen to it a few times, its fabulous.
The new album is amazing, definately better than 10,000 days, which I am actually kinda sad to say

John

Tool aren't prog either (nor are they ****, they're more like mutual masturbation ).

TMV aren't experimental, they have no place on an experimental forum. I'm going to stop now, I'm dragging this off topic. BAD MOD! BAD, BAD MOD!

cantdecide

eddyc wrote:

.....ey should cut all the crap out of francis the mute and made it an e.p.
But they do have moments of true genius.

that's exactly how i've always felt about it.

John

Sorry for the cross forum quoting:

The Free Man in the Experimental Music forum request thread wrote:

if TMV aren't experimental, then who on earth is??

The Mars Volta are just a rock group that pilfer bits of experimental music in a rock/pop format. That in itself isn't experimental. It's like calling Tool or Radiohead experimental just because they're a little weirder than the average rock band.

Experimental music is made by people like John Cage, Alvin Lucier, Franciso López, Tod Dockstader, Mars, Chris Watson, The Hafler Trio, Nurse With Wound, Oren Ambarchi, Merzbow, COH, Luc Ferrari, Keiji Haino, Ryoji Ikeda, Einstuerzende Neubauten and Phill Niblock. Compare any of them to The Mars Volta and The Mars Volta look more like pop.

The Free Man wrote:

ignorance seems to be bliss to a lot of you.

It's not ignorance that makes me think that The Mars Volta are nothing special, it's experience and taste. You're a big Mars Volta fan judging from your sig so I know nothing I say will convince you that I don't have blinkered view of music and that you are right, tastes differ after all, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't come waltzing into that thread in the Forums forum and put something unrelated down just because I don't agree with you about the Mars Volta.

Now, can we get back to discussing Ampuctechture?

Giblet

John2 wrote:

It's not ignorance that makes me think that The Mars Volta are nothing special, it's experience and taste. You're a big Mars Volta fan judging from your sig so I know nothing I say will convince you that I don't have blinkered view of music and that you are right, tastes differ after all, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't come waltzing into that thread in the Forums forum and put something unrelated down just because I don't agree with you about the Mars Volta.

Now, can we get back to discussing Ampuctechture?

I hope you don't mean I don't possess either experience or taste If I can pick up a guitar and play along with a band they aren't exactly difficult so when it comes to the Mars Volta, I know the whole back catalogue. There is a certain intensity from the band I like which I haven't heard from a lot of other bands.
I just hate the world "****". It's the most dismissive non-opinion **** people can say.

The new album should be great, I wonder what John Frusciante will sound like. He's a great guitarist outside of the chains of RHCP. I hope people will have a lot more respect for him when they hear it.

John

No Giblet, you've earned my respect. I just hate the "ignorance" card like you hate the "****" card. We can all still be friends.

Kaiser_Sma

Does anybody like Francis the Mute?! It's my favorite by far. Especially with the bonus track of the album name added. Deloused was still just an uneasy intermediary between at the drive in and the mars volta which they became in francis.

They take some getting used too (more than any other band i know) but it's well worth it. Francis has to be listend to by album not individually, other wise after the first track you're gonna lose the plot (i don't mean the actual lyrics they are nearly unintelligable). In my top 5 now doubht. Deep sixes anything that tool ever made.

Kaiser_Sma

The Free Man wrote:

guess ill be banned so...
screw the forum, TMV are great enough to have their own forum!

ignorance seems to be bliss to a lot of you.

damn straight!