she/her/hers
i've disliked all of them so far, honestly. i also thought noctourniquet was boring as hell, and this feels like a step further toward boring.Originally Posted by bobbie solo
everything they put out up through octahedron was so fun and powerful and interesting and unique and now i just feel like they're A Band™
Saul Williams fan.
Cedric even claims Masterson and the other Scientologists poisoned his dog, and went on to blast other famous people in the cult including Juliette Lewis, Brad Wilk (sigh...) and, of course, Beck.
https://metalinjection.net/metal-cri...killed-his-dog
RA-MEN ROPPAI
Their sound feels like a natural evolution similar to early prog bands that embraced synth and electro-based elements/arrangements once Punk and New Wave hit.
The singles/tracks still feel incredibly abbreviated, but I find myself enjoying them more upon repeat listens.
Stubby Member
In my early twenties I used to be in a relationship with a woman who turned out to have been born into an influential cult and who had carefully been trying to indoctrinate me through feelgood selfhelp platitudes wrapped in myth. They couldn't get dirt on me so she eventually just made shit up and got other members to back her claims. I was trapped in fear for two years of that relationship. Was abused through most of it. I eventually managed to get out, because my mental state had deteriorated so much that I ceased being interesting. They still went scorched earth about me in the field I had been trying to get a foothold in and I was stalked for three years. Still recovering from the trauma more than a decade later. I'm with Cedric on calling out all influential cultist mofos around. Whether they are dianetics simps or hard rock cafe fanboys.
Active Member
I had no idea about Brad Wilk, that's disappointing.
tempus est umbra in mente
I totally 100% believe all that he's saying about the Scientologists poisoning his dog and making his life hell. Fuck them. They are an evil cult, and even though I think those series of docs from Leah Remini might be a little too dramatic in spots, she's managed to highlight something in a very real way that needs to be understood. Scientology is a dangerous bullshit thing that needs to be called out. Actually... I'd call them a terrorist group at this point.
Active Member
Welp, I never got into Mars Volta (outside of Deloused) before and those new songs certainly don't help anything lol
Active Member
If you hate the new songs like most people....well, you shouldn't hold out much hope for the rest of the album.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...e-a-pop-record
Yikes.As Rodríguez-López put it, “I’m not bound by genre. The only thing that matters is if music makes you feel something.”Speaking of the reaction he has seen to the first two advance tracks, Bixler-Zavala had the following to say about their dissenters:“Some people might see it as betrayal. I’ve seen some people call it yacht rock. But yacht rock slaps so hard that hip-hop producers sample it all the time.”Rodríguez-López shared a similar belief, stating:
“Losing ‘fans’ is baked into what we do. I don’t know a greater happiness than losing ‘fans’. A true fan is someone interested in what’s happening now, and then there’s everyone else trying to control what you do or project on to it. I have an aversion to that. That sounds like school. That sounds like the government. That sounds like the police. And unfortunately that’s what a lot of people who think they’re fans end up thinking like.”
Bixler-Zavala added, “The most revolutionary thing we could do would be to make a pop record, really.”
Saul Williams fan.
Sigh. I haven't listened to the singles because I'm waiting for the album. I'm not holding my breath, though... Sometimes I do enjoy it when a band takes a left turn and suddenly goes pop, but I don't think I'm mentally prepared for The Yacht Volta.
The saddest part is that I just re-visited this thread's earlier pages and found a post of mine from 2012:
Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go cry.
Active Member
Pop songs are catchy, this is (so far) anything but lol
BADGERS
"That sounds like school. That sounds like the government. That sounds like the police"
You sound like a teenager, Omar. I don't care what genre it is, as long as I end up liking it and in this case I just don't like it enough to revisit it often.
Throbbing Member
Lots of good reviews coming out regarding the new album.
It leaked today and I just managed to get my hands on it.
About to dive in now..
BADGERS
I'm coming out surprisingly hot on the album. Especially as someone who really loved the heavier proggier Mars Volta, and felt let down by the singles. I did *like* the three singles, but there's something about the single coherent album that makes it all work and the production really is something else. Somehow, in an intangible way, the volta-ness is still there.
Last edited by Wretchedest; 09-14-2022 at 01:39 AM.
Active Member
This is great to hear. I'm someone who hated Noctourniquet so hopefully it's not like that.
Only By Night
This album is hauntingly gorgeous.
Glad I was wrong about the tracks having a sort of "One off" feeling, because the atmosphere sticks around throughout the entire listen and blends well imo and incredibly organic.
Cedric's vocals have room to breathe, and musically, it is a breath of fresh air being used to hearing the hectic progresssive sound there known for. Headphones, headphones, headphones for this, because there are still those Marsy progressive elements there like Wretch explained, just not in your face along with some jazzy, atmospheric stuff going on in the back.
Edit: The Requisition is fucking great. Funny, because part of the chorus reminds me a little bit of the chorus of Madonna's La Isla Bonita lol.
Last edited by Self.Destructive.Pattern; 09-14-2022 at 08:26 AM.
BADGERS
It is actually a bit like Noctourniquet, which I do like, so I don't want to be the one to raise your hopes if that's the case.
Throbbing Member
Cedric's vocals are a little high in the mix for my taste, but it's undeniable that the production/sound on this album is lush, rich, and gorgeous. It's pop music alright, and I dig it. Definitely a headphones album. Love how groovy and easy it is to digest compared to other Volta albums (which I love as well).
That said, a lot of it blended together during my first listen, so I'm looking forward to subsequent listening sessions.
BADGERS
Not that I view pop as a negative designation but I don't really see this as pop. It's too dark, the instrumentation is too strict, it's a little weird. Its still Volta, it's just much, much softer, and much short, string some of these songs together into one and play the same riffs harder and shout the lyrics and you could put this on either of the last two albums. Stuff like blank condolences and equus feel right at home in the catalog. Many of the tracks could fit on some of Omar's solo albums. And there's a sincerity to this album, carried by Cedric, that is hard to ignore. They really go all in on the Scientology angle here and it feels bold and fresh.
Throbbing Member
Not that I disagree with what you're saying about the album, but I still see it as pop, or at least containing heavy pop influence. That's not to imply it's shallow or simplistic..there's a ton going on and it's great. The pop influences I hear are the songs being clean, concise, and lacking the noisy elements of past Volta stuff. The vocals are upfront and there are hooks galore, the songs groove and flow effortlessly into each other, and the album is overall easy on the ears. There are samples and synths all over the place that wouldn't sound terribly out of place on a Kendrick Lamar album or something, and not in a bad way! (Shore Story, especially).
Regardless of what we call it, I'm digging it a lot.
Faves so far: Graveyard Love, Shore Story, Palm Full of Crux, and No Case Gain.
Last edited by Mr. Blaileen; 09-15-2022 at 09:30 AM.
Stubby Member
Ahh. This is really good. I absolutely love how Omar and Cedric refuse to be stagnant. Even though the songs are all really short, and there aren't really transitions between them, the album does have a sense of flow and character. They stick with similar moods for stretches at a time, and it almost feels like there are song suites going on or something. The last three tracks in particular are so good. TMV used to be a band you put on to have your mind blown and your face melted, and people who only want them for that are going to be quite disappointed. But this is a soulful, mature record that rewards multiple listens and a willingness to peek into the cracks in your expectations. I dig it, and don't think I've ever really heard an album like it.
tempus est umbra in mente
Noctouniquet or however it's spelled was awesome, so I'm stoked to hear this. I'll just wait for the official release though
Throbbing Member
There are no bad songs, but there's nothing for me to call "fantastic". I do love half of it, the other half is mellow and ok. Overall it's simply not what I'm looking for in general, regardless if it sounds like old Mars Volta or not. I'm happy they are back, and I'm happy they are free to do what they want to do. I'm not disappointed in any way, but I won't come back to it as mush as the other albums.
BADGERS
I'll say, there isn't anything that particularly stands out to me either, it's just kind of a single unit in a way, which is much how I felt about Bedlam and Noctournaquet, which are my two favorite of their albums. Conversely, I think the two best Mars Volta songs are "Tetragrammaton" and "Day of the Baphomets" but the rest of Amputecture I find mostly skippable
Stubby Member
I think you could compare this album to NIN's Hesitation Marks in that it fits the direction of their late-career while harkening back to their earlier work in a more subdued and mature way. Although TMV's late-career output was cut short due to creative and personal disagreements. And it's also obviously designed to be comfortable to perform with their older bodies. Cedric can't wail as much as Trent can't scream anymore.
Last edited by stankeybearlover; 09-17-2022 at 03:02 AM.
Matador de Froot Loops
I liked it, i agree that Cedric's vocals are too high, but other than that the album flows well.
In a way it's the most "standard" Mars Volta album, but that's not a bad thing and i liked it better than "Noctourniquet".
Hairy Member
Ooh, that's an interesting comparison.
Although I must say, I enjoy this more than Hesitation Marks.
Only By Night
I really need to sit down with all of their albums again. It's been years since I sat through them and experienced them as a whole to even attempt to make a favorites list. This one may end up somewhere in the middle.
BADGERS
Noctournaquet came out a little before hesitation marks, if I remember right, and I've always actually thought those two albums had some similarity to them, but it could be that they both remind me of the same time of my life. In my mind "Empty Vessels Make the Loudest Sound" and "VariouMethods of Escape" occupy a similar space
Captain Rustleboots
Lol this album is booty cheeks
Active Member
It's alright that it's chill, but then I get bored after a while.
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