If there's one thing Mars Volta strives to be, it’s different. And their sophomore album “Frances the Mute,” is their most bizarre to date. Starting off their first song with a gentle folk melody the band quickly morphs the track into a seventies rock squeal. As the album goes on the band hits every mark imaginable, covering as much ground as possible.
While Deloused at the Comatorium was definetely odd in its own right, the men of Mars Volta have finetuned their bizarreness; combining skill with their insane tagents.
As a part of their mission to alienate listeners, the album deviates as far as possible from the hit single mindset, even organizing their tracks with letters as opposed to numbers, and separating the album into five acts. In an era where once revolutionary punk bands now make the most radio friendly tunes on the market, perhaps the Mars Volta is trying to create groundbreaking music by forgoing all standards of radio hit singles.
However beneath all of the jumbled lyrics, morphing music, and equally bizarre liner notes a core of artistry is not evident. The band's embracement of the strange seems almost Dadaist in purpose, throwing the odd together for the sake of oddness. While well orchestrated, it seems that there's anything really being said.
The album's last song, Cassandra Gemini (or act rather comprised into five sections) is a sprawling, directionless half hour mess. Perhaps the Pink Floyd mindset can be applied here, and a dose of cannabis is needed to truly appreciate the sprawling endless tracks.
However, the off the wall creativity and utter disregard for ready to be marketed singles is a mindset lacking in today's artists. If the music hitting the shelves currently had one half of Volta's creativity we would be in a better place. The line between insanity and brilliance is a fine one, and it's a line the Mars Volta walk quite well. |