Formed in 2001, The Mars Volta took "experimental prog rock" to a whole other level. With every album changing in dynamics and sound, it was almost impossible to tell what the next record could possibly sound like. From "De-Loused In The Comatorium" in 03', all the the way through to "Octahedron" in 09', the rules of musical structure were being pushed to its limits; "Noctourniqet" was no exception. This last album is so odd and experimental, it's almost as if they reinvented the genre "experimental rock". Almost every song on this album sounds as if each member wrote a piece of music on their own for one song, came together, and played what they had, and recorded it. The strange part is, as weird as the songs are, you still hear a great song each time! They don't make sense, yet, they make sense!
"Noctourniqet" being their 6th and final album recorded before their split in 2012 is very dear to me due to that fact. I still have hope that they will snap out of it and come back together and continue their musical careers as The Mars Volta.
I want to slice this album open and try to explain what I can to you today.
The Mars Volta here is: Cedric Bixler-Zavala: vocals, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez: guitar/keys/synths, Juan Alderete: bass, and Deantoni Parks: drums.
1) The Whip Hand: This entire album is a trip. A crazy, psychedelic, and amazing mixture of sounds to make this great, innovative music, but let's tackle this one track at a time. An eerie, stomach turning track here. Spacey, floating sounds all over this song. You could see this in your head being played on a dark stage with warm colors flashing and floating around. As weird as this song is, it's a great hook to have you wanting to explore more and discover what else is to come in this record.
2) Aegis: This is a dark and mysterious song. Lightly and slowly played note, but with the drums keeping it very upbeat and creepy. The chorus is very loud and vibrant, almost acting like an opposite to the verses. The echoing of the music makes it feel like you're tripping on some kind of drug. Weird! I really enjoy when Cedric sings "I'm not running away!" in the chorus; very vibrant and brilliant.
3) Dyslexicon: A brighter song to change the sullen mood of the record thus far. Strange sounds still ring and hum around, but the overall feel is brighter, although not cheerful. Still a song that feels heavy and deep. Deantoni's drum parts just blow my mind on this track. Beats that are tricky to even catch by ear, even more difficult to copy! Also, Juan's bass riffs are amazing. Even though they sound simple, I just love how it hovers around Omar's guitar playing to give a backbone to the song.
4) Empty Vessels Make The Loudest Sound: This is my favorite track on this album. Very sad and slow track, but I feel it the deepest track of all in this album. The chorus is just so beautiful and beautifully sung. "Higher than mountains of cavernous people. Searching for a lighthouse in the fog". Omar plays an amazing and heavy-hearted solo too, and it makes you really feel the sorrow in this song if Cedric's vocals didn't do the trick. Amazing song.
5) The Malkin Jewel: The only single off of this album released. February 14, 2012, and a creepy track as well. The whole song feels like something creeping and crawling your way, or maybe even a ghost slithering closer and closer to you. Omar did a great job on the eerie, floating sounds on the keys, almost as if this song belonged to a suspence film.
6) Lapochka: Another vibrant song that starts low and jumps into loud vocals ringing and music flowing. I like those quick 16th notes being held with great fluidity on the hi-hats while an off beat is played between the kick and snares drum. Amazing! And who doesn't love the howling "OOOOOOO" that Cedric vocalizes? Hard not to sing along! I also like the big thumping notes busting out of that bass guitar. Great feel! Very moving and good-feel song overall.
7) In Absentia: This whole songs feels like floating in a fog or a mist of some sort, possibly due to the airy, floating sounds coming from the synthesizer and the echoing vocals. This song is hard to follow, I'll admit, but after a few good listens, you get the gist of it. The chorus is the point where the song becomes the most stable, and it's quite beautiful as well.
8) Imago: A bit on the softer side, this song seems to glide. It seems to fit perfectly where it resides on the album, from the big opener songs, to track 6. It lets people step back and take a breath from so much power and bang. Nice mellow tune.
9) Molochwalker: Kicking the beat back up, this song is also a little more stable; steadier than the previous as least. With some intense guitar and bass riffs, along with spasm-like drum parts here and there, this song is a nice change from the chaotic sounds flying left and right, and is easy on a first-time listeners ears. The vocals on this song are a bit different, from what I could hear, maybe it's just me, but they are very "Frances The Mute"-ish (2005). This song just fits right into the album.
10) Trinkets Pale Of Moon: Here is a very lower dynamic song. It starts in a bit of a whisper tone and keeps it that way with a few instruments added here and there. A bit of a quiet song, but still carries that mysterious feel very well in the music and melodies.
11) Vedamalady: This track starts off on a tone similar to "Trinkets Pale Of Moon", very smooth and nice, but picks up the tone at about 0:42 seconds. The tone picks up, but not too much, just enough to keep this track interesting and not have it drag on. Imagine, two tracks of similar tone back to back on a big bold album such as this? Would not be to pleasing to the ears; might even make you loose interest and fall asleep!
12) Noctourniquet: The title track of the album has similar tone to that of "Vedamalady", but with a different feel; almost like a cross between "Vedamalady" and "The Malkin Jewel". Very neat! Although this song is similar to other songs, it also stands alone musically. It seems even more experimental that the rest of the album, almost like the band hit a whole other level we've never heard before. Great track indeed!
13) Zed And Two Naughts: Here is a great album closer. With that softer tone and feel present here, just like in the tracks 7-12, the band also brings back some of that heavier power from tracks 1-6, they incorporate it all to send you off with a good feel. The verses are tricky and mysterious, while still soft, the chorus is big and vibrant to intrigue you and capture your attention. It ends with echoed lyrics of "Saint Christopher". Great ending!
A great album indeed, but a little underrated. Not sure why. Maybe it's too "experimental" for some people. Maybe Cedric's lower singing register wasn't appealing to some fans. Whatever the reason is, I recommend you give this album a couple of more listens. Yes, it's different, but that's what The Mars Volta did with every album. Give it a listen, you never know, maybe the 3rd, 7th, hell, even 12th listen might turn you around.
Although The Mars Volta is no more, true fans, like myself, are still hopeful that maybe, one day, the band will reconcile and continue what they were doing. We, the fans, miss The Mars very much and hate to see the band members butt heads so bitterly that it caused the band to split. Rumors were that Cedric and Omar had a falling out for a while now, BUT other rumors circulated that early this year Cedric and Omar were meeting and talking again. Mars comeback??? Please! Snap out of it! The fans miss you!!!
-Cerpin Taxt
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