CD Reviews by Frank Pansino
The Mars Volta – Octahedron (2009)
Octahedron, is The Mars Volta’s fifth studio album followed by: The Bedlam in Goliath, Amputechture, Frances the Mute, and De-Loused in the Comatorium. The album was released from Vintage Vinyl Records on June 23 to the U.S. and June 22 to the rest of the world. Octahedron is considered to be unlike previous albums by taking a more acoustic and soft approach; this album showed a different side of the band.
In the event of refinement to the sound Lopez was trying to portray for the album, saxophonist Adrián Terrazas-González and guitarist/sound manipulator Paul Hinojos were asked to leave, which also followed the departure of drummer Thomas Pridgen near the end of the Octahedron tour. The first album single entitled "Since We've Been Wrong" was released in North America, followed by the first European single entitled "Cotopaxi".
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| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Since We've Been Wrong" | 7:22 |
| 2. | "Teflon" | 5:06 |
| 3. | "Halo of Nembutals" | 5:32 |
| 4. | "With Twilight as My Guide" | 7:54 |
| 5. | "Cotopaxi" | 3:40 |
| 6. | "Desperate Graves" | 4:58 |
| 7. | "Copernicus" | 7:24 |
| 8. | "Luciforms" | 8:22 |
History
The Mars Volta is an American rock group from El Paso, Texas, founded by guitarist Omar Rodriquez Lopez and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala. Before The Mars Volta was created, the two were in a band entitled “At The Drive In” but due to differences between the members, along with the lack of wanting to experiment outside the mainstream roots, the band broke up.
The Mars Volta is known for incorporating several different genres of music into their sound such as: progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, hard rock, and Latin American music. The band is also known for their vigorous live shows, as well as their unusual – based albums.
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Band Members:
Omar Rodríguez-López – guitar, production, live backing vocals
Cedric Bixler-Zavala – lyrics, vocals
Isaiah Ikey Owens – keyboards
Juan Alderete – electric bass
Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez – percussion, synthesizers, keyboards
Dave Elitch – drums
Source: Wikipedia
My Opinion:
Being a fan of The Mars Volta since their first album ”De-Loused in the Comatorium” I have not yet been disappointed. As a matter of fact, I now consider Octahedron to be one of my favorite albums. Having seen the band live several times is truly breath taking; it’s an experience one can only feel when attending a show. Each Mars Volta album is different from one another; the band is always looking for new ways to create a different sound, and I believe they did so with this album. Being somewhat of a musician myself, I can relate as well as appreciate the music Omar and Cedric are trying to portray.
When it comes to structure, the band isn’t concerned with the typical verse chorus verse format, which makes there sound that much more unique. Also what is admirable is that the band strives for success within themselves opposed to criticism from others. Less than one hundred percent is never an option when creating a Mars Volta album, their a band I would definitely recommend to those with an open mind, Octahedron was a great success and I look forward to their forthcoming album that is yet to be released.
Source: Photo Courtesy: Frank Pansino
For more Mars Volta, check out their official website by clicking here.
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