After 2 Years, We Got the Mars Volta

Now Listening to : Octahedron

F U CK yeah!

i think you are likely to like this one. not really any prog jams at all.

Good deal. I've always been torn b/c I loved At the Drive-In and loved Deloused, but frances the Mute was just too weird for my tastes. Amputecture was a step up, but I didn't care for Bedlam. I'll give this a download tonight when I'm off work. thanks!

I've listened to it a few times... So far, I can say I'm digging it more than Bedlam, which I really liked.

It just... it seems like the are doing more feeling with this album than thinking, which isn't all a bad thing. Not a forced moment on the record, in my opinion, it all seems very natural and flowing. And what you've heard is true... it is a much slower, less manic record.

However, that's not to say there aren't rockers on here... they're just not prog/jazz/experimental explosions. Teflon, Halo Of Nebutals, and Desperate Graves would all fall in that category. The soft, more acoustically driven songs may be what bring people to the album, however... With Twilight As My Guide and Since We've Been Wrong are stunningly beautiful.

TMV do go back to their book of tricks for Cotopaxi, which is a great, heavy song in the same vein as Wax, but even superior. This is the one song on the album where you see glimmers of their schizo-prog.

In my opinion, and so far on first few full listens, there is a definite standout; Luciforms... It's an epic that utilizes the band's amazing sense of dynamics to their best. Starts out in an odd, minimalist verse, turns into a funky and crazy chorus with a strange rhythm pattern. As the song rolls along, more doors start opening; a grand piano is introduced, there are false-finishes (yes, I'm using a wrestling term to describe a Volta song... sue me), among other things that startle and please your senses. The final 3 minutes of the song, where the band goes into a huge breakdown, may be among the best snippets of music they've come out with.

I've really got to give this one thumbs way, way up... Key Tracks: With Twilight As My Guide, Luciforms, Halo Of Nebutals.

This might be the first time I've thought an album of theirs didn't have a misstep.

OK. Torrents aint got s h i t. Torrent sites had the album within minutes of the leak and you were still on here 5 hours after the fact searching for a link for a rapid share/megaupload. But I guess torrents suck.

In this case, and in most cases, nowadays (unless you're looking for something more obscure, in music, or older) your best bet is to google "album name + megaupload/sendspace/rapidshare" .

First full listen....I like Bedlam better. I'm sure after the next few listens it'll be a grower.

I think I prefer Bedlam as well although Octahedron has grown on me alot since I first listened to it. I guess I prefer Volta rocking out to their softer side.

Im interested to see how these songs sound live and how they mix with their older material,

Third listen now, I just got to Cotopaxi, I was pretty much asleep until that started. I like it, but I don't love it.
With Twilight is such a beautiful muthafucking song, but it feels like it needs to be surrounded by straight up facemelting tracks, its def. this albums Televators or Widow. Once Coto hits though, I'm like DAAAAAAAMN there's the Volta I love, that track is so well constructed it hurts! Desperate Graves has a nice groove to it, but not anything to write home about. Copernicus is a snooze, that electronic beat that comes in at about 4:00 is SO contrived and forced sounding, does not fit at all IMO. The keys throughout the last two 1/2 minutes or so is the only saving grace of the song. The second half of Luciforms is filthy, that wah hits, and Omar lets his insane talent rip right through the end of the record. IMO, this album up until right now is their first actual "record", its a collection of accessible songs, and less of the proggy conceptual madness that I've grown to love. The album also feels like a waste of Thomas's talent (*gasp*), he's so restrained, and at times his playing is too loud for the quietness of the songs, like when the drums come in on Since We've Been Wrong. I will most certainly continue to spin this all the way up until Bonnaroo, but IMO this is hands down the weakest album to date. People love to hate on Amputecture, and even Bedlam, but I wouldn't trade either of those for this... ;D

3 more days until we get our first 2009 setlist. oh the anticipation!

I see more hate towards Bedlam, than any of the others, really... and I can totally understand. It's a bit much. Amputechture, however, is a great, great record, which I'd never think of hating on.

I really must stand my what I say about Octa, it's a truly remarkable album, IMO, and better than Bedlam (IMO, again) in many ways.

just got to cotopaxi. I am really diggin it so far. It's like they stretched out all the manic crazy breakdowns and used a little more touch.

This is awesome. I am excited to hear a few of theas songs mixed into the others. it could add for more of a punch when they go wild, even the schitzo bedlam tunes.

Some songs:

Day Of The Baphomets
Cassandra Gemini
Take The Veil (Cerpin Taxt)
With Twilight As My Guide
Agadez
Cicatriz ESP
The Widow
Tetragrammaton