Noctourniquet
NOCTOURNIQUET is an album of inspired, unexpected moves and uncanny invention, following a considerably darker, more menacing strain of pop, with synthesizers figuring heavily in the productions. It is the sound of a band discovering new ways to do familiar things, renewing their commitment to their mission, finding fresh inspiration a decade in, and shaking off any complacency that might have come with ten years of acclaim and success. 1. The Whip Hand 2. Aegis 3. Dyslexicon 4. Empty Vessels Make The Loudest Sound 5. The Malkin Jewel 6. Lapochka 7. In Absentia 8. Imago 9. Molochwalker 10. Trinkets Pale Of Moon 11. Vedamalady 12. Noctourniquet 13. Zed And Two Naughts
Since making an epic splash with 2003’s De-Loused In The Comatorium, The Mars Volta has been circling around the perfect realization of its sound—and mostly failing to nail it. The group’s sixth full-length, Noctourniquet, comes after its longest break between albums, and much has changed: Some longtime contributors…
The Mars Volta has made a career out of creating intricate, highly conceptual music that confounds just as much as it…
Released just months after Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez' old band, At the Drive-In, announced they would be getting back together, the pair's sixth studio album as the Mars Volta finds them exploring the esoteric as they continue their journey ever further down the neo-prog rabbit hole.
Restraint isn't a quality you'd expect to find in any progressive rock band, especially not The Mars Volta; it just doesn't seem to fit. The band's previous effort Octahedron opted for a comparatively stripped back approach, but it lacked the gleefully unrestrained chaos which made their earlier releases so enthralling. Noctourniquet sees Omar Rodríguez-López and co finally strike a balance.
Unashamedly proggy, this concept album throws up new surprises with every listen, writes <strong>Ally Carnwath</strong>
Out of a clear blue sky the proggest of prog-rockers have come up with an accessible album full of energy and eclecticism, writes <strong>Dave Simpson</strong>
Texan duo push the envelope, but not everyone will be able to handle it. CD review by Russ Coffey