i interviewed them recently for Mojo, and Omar expounded at length about his love for latin music... Jordan, tell us more about Live And Cheap!! is it legit?
― stevie (stevie), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 14:12 (twenty years ago) link
― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 14:31 (twenty years ago) link
1) Roulette Dares (The Haunt of)2) Drunkship of Lanterns3) Cicatriz ESP4) Televators
Live from a couple '03 shows in London, 42 min. total. I only listened to the first half in the car last night, but it's great. The sound is really clear and thick, and I think they make more sense as a band live (not that the studio album isn't really good, but they have a lot more dynamics live and just sound unleashed in general).
There's a really crushing moment when an improv ends up in free time and they stop on a dime and go into the main riff to (I think) Drunkship of Lanterns.
Oh, they use some triggered electronic beats every now and then, not really in conjunction with the live rhythm section though.
― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 14:55 (twenty years ago) link
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 16:23 (twenty years ago) link
― mentalist (mentalist), Saturday, 24 January 2004 03:50 (twenty years ago) link
strangely, that's also how i feel about radiohead.
― eedd, Saturday, 24 January 2004 13:52 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 24 January 2004 16:24 (twenty years ago) link
― Jordan (Jordan), Saturday, 24 January 2004 16:41 (twenty years ago) link
― Chris Jones (Crackity Jones), Saturday, 24 January 2004 21:57 (twenty years ago) link
This is a highly diverse album, but it's at least 1/2 pureunmitigated prog. If you love this but don't know shit about prog, I suggest you investigate.
― squirlplise, Sunday, 25 January 2004 00:09 (twenty years ago) link
The best part about music like this is they can pretend to be influenced by free-jazz and krautrock, which I believe was mentioned in their press stuff. I actually think there are less absurdly pretentious lyrics than ATDI suffered from occasionally.
― christhamrin (christhamrin), Sunday, 25 January 2004 00:23 (twenty years ago) link
― mentalist (mentalist), Sunday, 25 January 2004 12:40 (twenty years ago) link
― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Sunday, 25 January 2004 14:45 (twenty years ago) link
In my heightened state when I saw them I thought they were unique, impossible to pigeonhole. Whenever I thought they sounded like prog, then they sounded latin, then electronic bleeps would appear, then jazz, then the spirit of Led Zeppelin (particularly 'Percy' Plant). Their latin and Santana ifluence was evident by the bongo drummer, and the guitarist at times. The music was very rhythmic, yet rarely conventionally 'groovy' (maybe that's why I thought prog). The blistering passion they put into the live performance is matched by their delivery. I was sold.
Someone say they're crap.
― mentalist (mentalist), Sunday, 25 January 2004 15:06 (twenty years ago) link
But I actually don't think that, I like 'em.
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Sunday, 25 January 2004 18:24 (twenty years ago) link
I think they're crap... I can't listen to the album at all. Oddly I don't hate them as much as I hate other things which I can bear to listen to, I understand why some people might love them... but I think it's just an unredeemable mess.
― The Lex (The Lex), Sunday, 25 January 2004 19:54 (twenty years ago) link
One last note: Although I much prefer_Deloused_ to _Relationship Of Command_, no one Mars Volta song approaches"One Armed Scissor" (one of my favorite singles ofthe century, to date).
― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Sunday, 25 January 2004 22:39 (twenty years ago) link
― Pablo Cruise (chaki), Sunday, 25 January 2004 22:40 (twenty years ago) link
The singer still sounds like Geddy Lee sometimes. This bothers me if I think about it too hard.
― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 19 May 2004 20:28 (twenty years ago) link
― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Wednesday, 19 May 2004 20:32 (twenty years ago) link
― benito mussolinington (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 27 June 2004 12:46 (twenty years ago) link
― benito mussolinington (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 27 June 2004 12:47 (twenty years ago) link
― Ade (Adrian Langston), Sunday, 27 June 2004 12:58 (twenty years ago) link
― Sir Chaki McBeer III (chaki), Sunday, 27 June 2004 15:00 (twenty years ago) link
― sundar subramanian (sundar), Sunday, 27 June 2004 15:12 (twenty years ago) link
What's this?
― Jordan (Jordan), Sunday, 27 June 2004 16:37 (twenty years ago) link
― artdamages (artdamages), Sunday, 27 June 2004 16:53 (twenty years ago) link
― harshaw (jube), Sunday, 27 June 2004 17:06 (twenty years ago) link
― artdamages (artdamages), Sunday, 27 June 2004 17:17 (twenty years ago) link
― Jordan (Jordan), Sunday, 27 June 2004 17:18 (twenty years ago) link
― artdamages (artdamages), Sunday, 27 June 2004 17:20 (twenty years ago) link
― artdamages (artdamages), Sunday, 27 June 2004 17:24 (twenty years ago) link
My lil' sister's boyfriend was trying to get me into Coheed and Cambria. They suck ASS. But he's only 17 so I let him off the hook.
I like Mars Volta though.
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Sunday, 27 June 2004 20:22 (twenty years ago) link
― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Sunday, 27 June 2004 22:20 (twenty years ago) link
Coheed & Cambria don't deserve our attention. Let's not talk about them.
― Sonny A. (Keiko), Sunday, 27 June 2004 22:52 (twenty years ago) link
Stone. Cold. Classic.
― a pleasant little psychedelic detour in the elevator (Amory Blaine), Wednesday, 14 January 2015 01:24 (nine years ago) link
Best thing they ever did as The Mars Volta, IMO.
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Wednesday, 14 January 2015 16:44 (nine years ago) link
Frances the Mute is amazing too. Amputechture is goofy but great. Bedlam was bloated and spotty, didn't bother with last two. My favorite band in 2005
― when is the new Jim O'Rourke album coming out (spazzmatazz), Wednesday, 14 January 2015 18:00 (nine years ago) link
i don't think anything mars volta did is classic but i love that you guys do. i am happy they exist
― marcos, Wednesday, 14 January 2015 18:03 (nine years ago) link
tremulant ep still goes so hard and i've come a place where it's their best release
― flappy bird, Friday, 23 August 2019 04:00 (five years ago) link
completely perfect ep
To answer the question of the OP: It's the only Mars Volta I ever really liked.
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Friday, 23 August 2019 06:27 (five years ago) link
I know a guy who recently bought the 1-of-1, original cover art pieces for De-Loused in the Comatorium — both the gold head and the severed head versions — and now has them framed and hanging on his wall, which still kinda blows my mind.
― ilxor, Friday, 23 August 2019 06:44 (five years ago) link
they added the pre-release version of comatorium to their bandcamp: https://themarsvoltaofficial.bandcamp.com/album/landscape-tantrums-unfinished-original-recordings-of-de-loused-in-the-comatorium
i listened to this version about 1000 times on a burned CDR before the album came out
total classic btw
― diamonddave85 (diamonddave85), Sunday, 27 March 2022 18:45 (two years ago) link
jon theodore is a fucking beast, his drumming on this still blows me away as much as it did when i first heard it
― diamonddave85 (diamonddave85), Sunday, 27 March 2022 18:49 (two years ago) link
Did not know about the original versions now on their bandcamp, thanks!Good old alb, though takes some getting used to, worth it.Included with some other outliers in a Voice round-up I did back in Nov. ov '03:Mars Volta. Whose big bananaspots slip electrically elsewhere: through stabsof light (purple bursts of trans WhoZepYesRush-QueenQueensJaneRageSystemRedHotFugaziSantanaAtTheDrive-InEmoScreamo trajectory),which nevertheless tendto bounce off crystalline towers of voice, on account of "Joycean wordplay" inthe midst of Revelation. It's a challenge, but appropriately so. For inst.(one of their easier pieces), song-title "Cicatriz esp" can refer to headshrinkand/or vaccination mark: Either way, you're in goood hands, Mr.De-loused at the Comatarium blackhole-visionary guy. Whose defiantlycreative/self-destructive internal cosmography (runs) rings throughricochet-maze/shields of gloved ones Mars Volta's implosively arty art. Once, beforeartist-junkie-De-Loused dedicatee Julio Venagas woke up and finally succeeded in killinghimself, he and MVs/ex- At The Drive-Ins Cedric and Omar were friends, and it shows.Awww. It's true!
― dow, Sunday, 27 March 2022 20:08 (two years ago) link
Very fun album. Cedric is a good instagram follow for old wrestling clips, though his recent Will Smith take was lame
― hrep (H.P), Tuesday, 29 March 2022 05:46 (two years ago) link
Also, from my Pazz & Jop comments on 2011 picks:Thought I had more about Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Telesterion, but it's sharp-edged, fluid analog musk, more astute than noodley, any purple more blended than The Mars Volta's reigning peacock screams. Latin rock with jazzy tendencies, rec to fans of early Santana, Rock En Espanol, whatever just went out of print on Shadoks. A personal Best-Of; you can stream it on Spotify, and a ton of his other albums here:https://orlprojects.bandcamp.com/
(Zechs Marquise, Omar's younger brothers' band, also has a 2011 album. Getting Paid. It's uneven, but worth checking out here: http://zechsmarquise.bandcamp.com )
― dow, Monday, 4 April 2022 17:09 (two years ago) link