Octahedron
The Mars Volta has steadily built steam since debuting in 2003. The title of its fifth studio album, *Octahedron*, refers to an eight-sided geometric shape and the full-length features eight epic tracks that characteristically hold unexpected twists, turns, and tempo shifts. As usual, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is credited with writing the music, Cedric Bixler Zavala is responsible for the lyrics and vocals, and a host of members comprise the larger band (including John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers). About five minutes into the gradually evolving opener, “Since We’ve Been Wrong,” snare-heavy drums join the fold and then pick up the pace on “Teflon,” where reverb-drenched guitars kick in and Zavala’s slightly sinister vocals deliver wounded, seething sentiments. Following a funky, head-bang-inducing “Cotopaxi,” the “Copernicus” ballad walks down a seven-minute path where listeners briefly encounter electronica-esque instrumentation. The theatrical cauldron continues to fester until concluding with “Luciforms” — with Zavala sounding as vengeful as ever throughout the apocalyptic journey.
“OCTAHEDRON was a rebellion. [...] This is our ‘pop’ album.”, states Cedric about their fifth full-length. Of course, this being The Mars Volta, OCTAHEDRON was pop as viewed through a kaleidoscopic, parallax lens, and you wouldn’t need a microscope to spot the viral weirdness lurking within its straight-ahead moves and newfound melodic clarity. 1. Since We've Been Wrong 2. Teflon 3. Halo Of Nembutals 4. With Twilight As My Guide 5. Cotopaxi 6. Desperate Graves 7. Copernicus 8. Luciforms
The ambitiously huge prog-rock band return with their most relatively accessible album in years.
The prog-punks of The Mars Volta have endured more than half a decade of criticism that they make noisy, incoherent albums, so it’s refreshing that the group’s fifth full-length is tied together by silence. Well, not silence per se, but that’s how it sounds at first. Only with the speakers cranked is it clear that the…
And Octahedron, a quieter and more subdued Mars Volta album, proves that same fact (if not at the same level as Nirvana) for a band that's perpetually lived on a knife's edge of tension.
some of the best material since Omar and Cedric's days fronting At The Drive-In...If you aren’t aware of The Mars Volta by now, there’s probably the reason.
Apart from their resemblance to Mos and Richmond from The IT Crowd (Errr, what? – obviously-not-blind Ed), everything about The Mars Volta is very serious.