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The Mars Volta "Frances the Mute"

To call The Mars Volta a band would be to discredit them. They are not merely six musicians playing instruments, but six individuals becoming a collective subconscious. If that is true, then Cedric Bixler Zavala and Omar Rodrigues-Lopez are spiritual leads of a musical cult. This is a group that demands respect and attention.

2003s Deloused in the Comatorium was a shock to those still ripe with the after taste of At the Drive-in in their mouth. The band had shifted to incorporated something that had been in ATDIs live show the last few years of its existence; free form jamming.

If Deloused was simply ex ATDI members thinking outside of the box, Frances the Mute is the same members punting the box to the moon where it is found by extra terrestrials, taken to a far away galaxy, probed and then destroyed.

The five track, 77 minute collective (again, to simply call this an album would be to short sell it) takes the listener through a narrative based in reality, the only way the Volta can. To them, the sounds, pitches, rhythms, and silences they string together are no different than the light reflecting through the lens of a film maker. To place gaps between songs would be the same as placing gaps between scenes in a film.

LVia LViaquez showcases the bands Latin pop roots more so than any other track. If you think the guitar solo doesnt sound like Omars style, youre right. That would be the handy work of John Fruciante (a disciple in the Volta Gospel). Any one who heard Omars solo record hoped that the Volta would pick up on the Latin sound, what is so surprising is how well the incorporated it into their own style. This song would be a contender for a single if it werent for the length and its mid-track ambiance.

In fact, the ambiance, while providing emotional, stressful sounds to fill the gaps between tracks, can be difficult at times to bear with. The irony is while the Volta compose their music with little repetition, the ambient noise repeats for far too long, sometimes not even building an emotion.

While The Widow maybe a stand out track because of its simplicity, Casandra Geminni is the Voltas opus. The 35 minute track was split up on the album due to corporate label politics (otherwise the band would have a 77 minute EP as opposed to a full length). The track is given sub tracks and is composed much like a classical piece. While you can trace ATDIs roots back to the MC5 and Dead Kennedys you can trace the Voltas influence back to Bach and Beethoven.

Cedric delivers a startlingly creepy monologue in the opening minutes. The vocal effect makes him sound like a raspy robot version of Vincent Price. This is sure to tweak out any college student absorbing the album between bong hits.

The instrumentation on this track is breath taking. Listen as marching band meets machine gun in the poly rhythms of Jon Theodores drum work. Omars guitar plays off of this perfectly by blending notes and noise. Its not just the tones dripping from his strings, but the actual cadence of pick hitting chord that creates his fluidity.

On first listen, Frances may seem at best an amazing mess. I give this one plea to anyone interested in this disc (the same plea I gave to those interested in Deloused); Listen to it from beginning to end. Put it in your sock drawer for one week. Then listen to it again. Youll be amazed by the complexity and beauty of the moments it will create.