The best I can describe the new record is to take Tremulant, De-Loused, and Frances, and than add Tremulant's sound manipulation style, De-Loused's basic musical styles, and remove Frances's ambient nosie, than add a four orgasms per track, and you get the record. Defitnaly the best of 06 right now.
That ending was weird. So abrupt. I can't wait for it to be released so I can get a really good quality version of it. It's a great album, though I'm unsure as to whether I like 10,000 Days or this better. Granted, I've only listened to Amputechture once. "Day of the Baphomets" is possibly my new favorite Mars Volta track though.
I think the abrupt endings to the songs have to do with it being a leak. The transition to Mecca > Asilos is horrible. The album is fantastic though from what i've heard so far. I'm just getting onto Viscera Eyes now, the comatorium members seem to be orgasming over this track so I can't wait.
Yeah, this record is definitely good. It's different than what I expected. But it's good. I still like Frances better, and select songs off De-Loused better, but this is definitely up there. And so is Cedric's voice on this album. It's way up there. I don't think I've heard any male sing that high before. Granted, I haven't heard a lot of high-pitched vocals in my days, and it might just be vocal manipulation, but whatever.
I agree with you totally. Hopefully the transitions in the songs will be better in the actual version. Every once and a while there would be a slight pause and it seemed like a brand new track was starting. I found that slightly annoying.
Are you talking about between songs, or actually in the songs, like with Day of the Baphomets where they pause for a second and change tempos and everything on the fly? Because I think that was purposeful. They did it on Cassandra Gemini, it was just more gradual. A lot of hardcore bands do that, pause and change to a completely different sound very quickly. So I don't think that will change, but the transitions between songs (i.e. Meccamputechture to Asilos Magdalena) will change, I sincerely hope. Also, does that solo about 4 minutes into Viscera Eyes remind anyone else of some of the solos on 10,000 Days? I swear Omar hits some of the exact notes that Adam hits in 10,000 Days (the song).
Yeah, I believe we're thinking of the same thing. It was just weird to me because it sounded like a completely new song was starting but it wasn't. It seemed like it was supposed to be seperated but wasn't. I bet you're right, though.
It's sort of the same thing as Frances The Mute where they labeled each movement, except on this they're not labeled.
Amputechture is such a huge musical statement that I need at least another dozen listens to give my best impressions of it, but I like the general direction so far....at places it becomes very atonal/noisy/polyphonic so that its hard to hear all the parts. That could be the intent or the mixing job...probably a bit of both, but they are definately treading new ground on this one. This must be the highest level of musicianship yet and I would say this one at many points is much more written out/riffs and vocal-oriented as opposed to jams, although there are solos abound and many spacey moments with sound effects. Frusciante seems like he has an appearance doing leads on Vicarious Atonement, and unless I'm going deaf the bass solo and bass guitar on Day of the Baphomets is Flea, it definately has his growly Fender bass tone. But "El Ciervo Vulnerado"? Wtf? To me its 9 minutes that go nowhere...maybe I need to listen to it more....
Yeah, I thought El Ciervo Vulnerado was the weakest track on the record, which is a little sad considering that my favorite songs on the past three records (Eunuch Provocateur, Take The Veil & Cassandra) were all closers. I kept waiting for something to explode at the end, but it just didn't. Although I guess it's their decision, the rest of the album is amazing, so it's ok with me.
Oh wow...listening to the album again, and I have to say that "Day of the Baphomets" is a classic in the making. 12 minutes which includes a bass solo, incredible riffs, vocals, a bongo solo, Adrian sounding like Trane at his wildest, Omar and John doing their thing. Its worth the price of the CD and no fan of the Volta will be dissappointed. It harkens back in some places to songs like Take the Veil in that wierd but groovy way. As far as I know John is the second guitarist on all the tracks. And yeah there are plenty of harmony guitar (Tetragrammon, anyone?).
Casey, there's some fan-deciphered lyrics on The Comatorium, but nothing official really yet. But I understand, I like to have the lyrics when I listen to them too, Cedric is rather difficult to understand.
There are parts of this album, however that are really bothering me and I think I figured out why. The most of the musical ideas on this album are genius, as well as the performances of most of the cast. Ikey has ingeniously subtle but important parts...the bluesy piano in Vicarious Atonement, the incredible Hammond Organ parts in songs like Meccamputechture and Viscera Eyes. Jon's drumming becomes surreal, its intense, innovative, and also very flowing with the song. Juan's bass is not too pronounced for the most part and he keeps all of the chaos together. Adrian's sax playing is frenetic and inspired, sounding like John Coltrane in his last "Interstellar Space" free jazz era. John Fruciante added a more melodic/technical aspect to the guitar work. Omars brother on percussion stood out on some tracks including a bongo solo. What I am starting to have a problem with are the two icons of the band, Cedric and Omar. Omar's guitar is still atonal and way out there, and for most parts it fits the song. But I think it all comes down to, at times, his "direction" and "vision" of the songs and thats where everything can unravel. There are parts where for me everything gets too dense and overblown. The ending solos of Tetragrammaton are an example of pointless noodling and just "noise" that is really unpleasing to the ear. It seems like they just put it there but it has no purpose in the whole scheme of the song. But some of this stuff only lasts for short duration and I can get past most of the "noise". What really gets me is what Cedric (or by Omar's direction) has done with his voice sometimes. At many times it gets too harsh and overblown for the sake of the music, ruining the groove of the riffs. "Vicarious Atonement", most of "Asilos Magdalena", the beginning of "Tetragrammaton", "Viscera Eyes" at 7:45 , and "Vermicide" are all examples of great uses for Cedric's voice....but "Day of the Baphomets" at 10:30, "Tetragrammaton" at 14:30, the ending of "Asilos Magdalena", and "El Ciervo Vulnerado" at about the 3:00, 5:15, and 7:50 marks are too eclectic for the song and should be much more focused on melody than getting a crazy sound, IMO. In El Ciervo Vulnerado, there are many redeeming qualities to this song, there are some amazing spacey elements and sax/guitar/ambient parts. But Cedrics wierd, atonal vocal contributions sound horrible and ruin what would be a creepily effective closer. Behind an amazing backing cast, Omar and Cedric I believe are starting to go too far with their "vision" and their wierd, atonal tendencies are starting to ruin parts of the songs which are otherwise masterfully constructed. Still, I'd give the album a 9/10
I think Omar and Cedric both blow it out a little bit too far sometimes, and can both be quite harsh with their guitar/voice at times, but for the most part, I don't mind it. But I still agree.
Maybe I was a BIT harsh but yeah that is something that was bugging me a bit. For the most part it doesn't bother me but when there's such good music going on it makes it doubly worse to hear that, y'know? But yeah overall I can get over it.
Amputechture has been pushed back to September 12th, apparently. But you guys know what this means! OMG THE LEAK WAS A DECOY ALBUM!!! ahem. moving on. Omar & Cedric did some kind of interview with Music Television (otherwise known as MTV):
That's what I thought it was from when I first listened to it... thought it was kinda mediocre for a Mars Volta album. (Ask Tomi, if you don't believe me.)