The Mars Volta

[ie]

We've discussed this band a lot on random forums, so I figured it was about time we unified our collective opinions in this one forum. That, and we have a new user named after them , so why not?



The Mars Volta

Also known as the Mars Volta Awesome Experience, the Mars Volta Group, or the Cedric and Omar Duo.


I have not seen them play live, but I don't really go to concerts ever, so it's understandable.

My opinions are as follows:


Tremulant EP
Great introduction to the band, even if I listen to the first two songs more than the last song.

De-Loused in the Comatorium
My favorite album by the band? Everything just works so well on this album, Televators is easily a 10/10 song in my books, as is Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt, with underlying meaning that transformed it from what would have been just a standard hardcore punk song from At The Drive-In (not knocking them) into an epic song of perhaps 11/10 preportions. The ending, wow. And they can duplicate that live!

Frances the Mute
Great follow-up. Good music to listen to while doing art or being creative, and they made great use of ambience on this album

Scabdates
I enjoyed this album more than I think most people did, perhaps in part because Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt was on it. I feel that the twenty-minute Freak Out! at the end really divided people, but I found it to be right up their alley. I thought that this was a sign of what was to come.

Amputechture
I fear that this will be a sign of what's to come. A slight disappointment to me at least, and I found it unmemorable. While I would not use the term "sell out" (such a loaded term), this release did seem less like the Mars Volta we were only just beginning to see and more like a standard rock band that plays with some weird audio equipment. Still a decent album to listen to, but it doesn't really do it for me.

I haven't heard the Live EP or the B-Sides A Missing Chromosome, because both of these are obscure to buy.


So, there you have it. I have a friend that keeps me up-to-date on the Mars Volta, since we're good friends and he visits a forum about the band. He agrees with me about Amputecture and the sign of what's to come, so at least one other person in the universe finds it reasonable.

I'm not going to blind-buy their next release, although I will still listen to it and decide whether it's worth a purchase or not. I still really enjoy the band, even if they're technically more like a duo that hang out with musicians and tell them what to play than a band.

[captainofbeef]

A great band and a very nice breath of fresh air for modern music. I can't wait to see what they will do next. De-loused is their best record and I actually enjoyed Amputechture more than Frances the Mute. Scabdates was excellent as well. Still yet to hear Tremulant.

[captainofbeef]

I have a question for everyone. At the Drive-in or The Mars Volta? I'm personally on Volta's side here but I want to hear everyone else's opinion.

[ie]

I haven't heard that much from At the Drive-In, so I can't speak on any terms of authority, but De-Loused in the Comatorium is one of the best albums I've ever heard, so there is a bit of a bias, even if they seemed to have gone downhill lately.

[criterionmaster]

Definitely At the Drive-In, I went to RYM a while ago to see what other people thought, and was very surprised most people liked Drive-In better. They have the perfect mix of everything I like, and have one of my favorite albums. I still do like Mars Volta a lot, but no where close to At the Drive-In for me, although, I have only heard one album, with a bunch of random other songs. I was at a concert, and all of a sudden Drive-In came on the speakers in-between bands, and I wanted to just start smashing people, it was so good, and I looked around, and like ten other people in there was singing the song along with me. It was so good.

[captainofbeef]

I guess I'm overruled then. I don't really even like At the Drive-in.

[ie]

Technically, I was overruled one-to-two, although if you wanna help me gang up on them Cap'n, I'll bring the shit if you hold 'em down.

[PTAhole]

I much prefer Volta, but At the Drive-In's a cool band.

[blackmoses]

I like Mars Volta a lot more. At the Drive-In is good though, they have some stunning songs! But Amputechture and De-loused in the Comatorium are too good.