I've known this for awhile, but it's still just sinking in how awesome this album really is. And just because I can:
The songs are so long that they're split into "Chapters", if you will. For example, Cassandra Gemini lasts 30+. The shortest song on the album is The Widow, which is like, 3 minutes or so. The rest are between 12/13 - 30 minutes long. Great album. It's a great concept album about the struggle of women. Great, great shit. Can't wait to get blazed and listen to it in crystal clear sound. Mmmhmm.
I went to the Mars Volta Ecard to listen to The Widow... sounds pretty sweet... I'll have to check up on some of their previous works. But... 30 minute songs? I've died and gone to heaven.
Is that an exaggerated statement, or does time fly when you're high? [/b][/quote] I smell trying to get a single to radio!
Is that an exaggerated statement, or does time fly when you're high? [/b][/quote] No, every song on the album except The Widow are 12+ minutes. The longest track being Cassandra Gemini, clocking in at 31 minutes or so. If they release another single, what they'll probably do is release on of the subsections of the song. Like, for instance, if they wanted to put out Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus as a single, they might just put out Sarcophagi instead of the whole 12 minute or so song, ya dig?
Very sweet album indeed. Maybe my fav. of 2005, but there is still A LOT of stuff this year. This spring theres new SOAD, Spock's Beard, Porcupine Tree, this, and Dream Theater....definately some good stuff coming our way. I would have to say Cassandra Gemini is the craziest song I've heard. The saxophone/trumpet/guitar jam at the end it out of this world. Yeah, Casey, I can't wait to go over to some friends...it would definately be a good experience while on drugs
Okay, I may be a bit oblivious right now, but what does this mean? What does this post mean when it says the single will be a 'decoder'? Thanks in advance.
Okay, I may be a bit oblivious right now, but what does this mean? What does this post mean when it says the single will be a 'decoder'? Thanks in advance. [/b][/quote] Basically, this song will serve as the conclusion for the album, finishing the story and completing the concept. From what I have figured out, from others peoples observations, and from the bands description of the album, it tells about an orphan (who is Cygnus, as someone said it related to Greek Mythology) who meets a number of different people (i.e. The Widow, Miranda, and Cassandra), trying to find out who his parents are. The story is really vague from there, but basically "Frances the Mute" is the mother of the orphan when they finally meet. So I guess thats what the song is about. I don't know what "In Thirteen Seconds" is about, but "19 Sank, While Six Would Swim" is related to the "25 Wives in the Lake Tonight" that Cedric sings in Cassandra Gemini. I hear this is all talk about all of their former bandmates with At the Drive In (or so I hear), then the creation of the Mars Volta, which had 6 members. "Five Would Grow, While One Was Dead" is no doubt talking about the death of Jeremy Ward and their grief for his loss (one of the six wives who swam?). They've also tied some concepts on addiction to the death of bandmate Jeremy Ward (who found the book that contained this story), who overdosed on heroin a year and a half ago. If you want more analysis on the album, go over to the message boards at www.thecomatorium.com. Lots of great info there if your interested. Mind you, this is all speculation.
Odaton: I asked over at The Comatorium, but I doubt I'll get an answer. Will the Gold Standard Labs website be selling the Frances the Mute Vinyl/CD One-Song Single and Frances The Mute Vinyl/CD (the actual 5 song album)? Stores here don't carry Mars Volta usually, and Smartpunk.com doesn't have those two listed under Vinyl yet. I haven't checked CD, but I'm more intererested in Vinyl right now.
Oh, I get it now. Thanks for the speculation, though. For a moment I thought it would actually 'decode' the several minutes of scrambled sounding stuff in between songs. I'll be looking out for the Single though, I doubt I'd find it here. I got lucky with De-Loused...
Casey: I think they are releasing the vinyl versions. Universal will definately be releasing the CD versions of both the album and the single, so they should be in most stores. I dunno...is FTM being sold in vinyl??
I don't know really, at first I heard the one song single is being released on vinyl only, then I heard it's being released on Vinyl and CD. I'm just assuming that the actual Frances The Mute album will be released on vinyl sometime, although at the moment, the GSL website only says this: Yeah. I'm still getting a Record Player, and I'm going to get both singles, the EP and the album. I'm getting blazed and listening to The Mars Volta old school style one way or another, damnit.
Old school! We had a record player, then my damn brother broke it! I wanted to scratch it hehe....and my mom has some sweet classic rock vinyls that we just don't do anything with
My grandma is going to take me to some old antique markets and flea markets so I can get some records. I'm hoping to find some Sabbath, and hopefully a Booker T & The MGs record if I'm lucky.