The Rock Blogger

The Mars Volta. Octahedron . 2009. 4 stars .

In what is their most streamlined and restrained album to date, The Mars Volta have crafted surrealistic prog-balladry that weaves between weepy sentimentalism and desert-tinged psychedelia. Touching off brief moments of accessible clarity that spaced out dizzying spasms on their previous albums ("Televators", "The Widow"), TMV have opted for strong, emotional lyricism over exercises in raw dexterity. The move is a welcome one, given that the band’s pristine abilities, especially Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s acrobatic vocals, often became muddled under a mass of texture.

"Since We’ve Been Wrong" is the clearest marker for this shift in songwriting, with mellow acoustic riffs and crystalline electric arpeggios that climb across Cedric’s gentle verses. The song carries with it a warm, evening atmosphere, recalling the purple shadows of some distant, lovelorn summer. With it’s focused presentation and memorable lyrics, this stellar opener stands as one the band’s best songs.

"Teflon" and "Halo of Nembutals" are more aggressive and centered on heavy percussion. However the focused songwriting remains intact as the musicianship seeks to line the stunning vocals with complementing bursts of color. Cedric`s vocals shift between the nasal and helium-induced ecstasy as he spouts nonsensical lines about hanging ring worms, hostages and burning tires. I`m sure there is some cogent story to be found here, but I don`t have the right drugs to go looking for it.

With Twilight as My Guide is similar to the firefly radiance of the first song, with shimmering atmospheric noises and patient acoustic picking. The song stretches out into sputtering drones as subtle syths play over. The effect is enticing, as it lulls the ears into some ancient hidden cavern. And so flows the rest of the album, alternating between shrieking and punctured jams (Cotopaxi, Desperate Graves) and slow, cinematic buildups (Copernicus) complete with electronic beat-pulses and piano lines.

Overall, Octahedron is a satisfying album that goes well with sun-baked slumbers. While certain moments of this album still bear the trademark confusion that has typified The Mars Volta (bizarre lyrics, ear-piercing climaxes), it still bears moments of enriched lucidity. Though I doubt they will ever reclaim the power of their debut album (Deloused in the Comatorium ), Octahedron shows The Mars Volta altering their sound and finding new and rewarding paths across the deserts of the mind.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 at 1:55 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.