Frances the Mute

Well, with how diverse, complex and intriguing this album is, it's a little difficult to quite put into words what listening to it is like.Of course, it's nothing but positivity regarding each song. Although, you can barely call them all 'songs' since the vast majority link together to make for a listening experience that takes you through so many twists and turns.Guitars, fast paced, slow paced, bilingual and extraordinary lyrics; what else is there left to cover for The Mars Volta?If you've only heard The Widow and L'Via L'Viaquez, then I'd highly recommend you take careful consideration when buying this album. You may not get what you expect with the rest. That may be in a great way or a bad way.But if you like music that's a little 'out there', don't take another minute to buy it and find out what's in store.

Having heard the songs The Widow and L'Via L'Viaquez and having read some of the reviews here, I thought the album was going to boil down to those two songs and a load of unlistenable avant garde nonsense.Luckily I bought the CD (prefer to have a physical object to really focus the attention) and I can't stop listening to it. There are so many exhilarating moments, both vocal and instrumental, throughout the 70 minutes of this album. You have to give it your full attention, sit down with it and pay attention.It's magnificent! As a 42 year old it's been a long time since a record exhilarated me like new music used to do when I was 15 but this takes me right back. Discovered it 11 years late but who cares?

Great album from the marvellous Mars Volta. Recommended.

Incredible album.

Great album, takes a couple of listens to appreciate (and a few more if you haven't heard TMV yet) but awesome atmosphere and tension and great musicianship all the way through. The concept is really interesting also. It's up there with 'Deloused' and personally I prefer this album.

Thanks for the cd.much appreciated. Excellent condition. Will buy in future. All the best

Bring me more, need to purchase more like this. Great stuff.

I thought i would write an INFORMED review, as i have actually heard the album. And make no mistake, it has the same energy (if not greater) and the same skewed time signatures, but unfortunately, many many more of the 5 minute silences that i personally hoped had been left behind with cicatriz ESP, however, some of the silences are up to 12 minutes... Which seems to me to be a ploy to make their album longer that it really is. Omar infuses many more of the latin influences we saw glimpses of in DITC, many of the lyrics are in spanish. Whether this adds depth to the music or simply a cliched latin sound is a decision you will have to make.The album IS an epic however; two 15 minute tracks, and one 33 minute closer certainly emphasise this fact- they dont lack stamina, however, they do seem to drain in imagination, as the album seems to deteriorate in musical quality as it goes on, a 33 minute track really needs to be captivating to provide any interest, however, what should be the best track on the album ends up as the filler.Track Synopses:Cygnus Vismund Cygnus: Best track on the album, pounding bass, brilliant guitar, and inventive, Exactly what i hoped this album would sound like.The Widow: Extremely Boring! Like a drawn-out televators without the brilliant vocals and haunting atmosphere.L'Via L'Viaquez: Hmmm, almost DITC worthy, but somewhat samey,nonetheless quite catchy. However i lose interest towards the end- not something i thought i'd ever do with mars voltaCassandra Gemini: 33 minutes of what could quite easily be passed of as pretentious tripe. It starts off almost interesting, and then continues into some poor sampling, and as soon as you gain interest again, it descends into a silence for about 5 minutes, and ends rather hurriedly and without saying much. I want those 33 minutes of my life back.Let me finish by adding that I LOVE The Mars Volta, but i feel this album is simply below their standard. My Review may seem negative, but the opening track is absolutely standout and it is 15 minutes, and the rest of the album is good, but simply not as good as it should be. A disappointing effort.