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...according to our Brett on Wed 07 Oct, 2009.
Well whaddya know, it's the actual real Mars Volta with their new album Octahedron. I'm having to review this quickly because I think it's making everyone else suicidal.. Well, everyone except Phil who whispered to me that he was quite enjoying it then told me not to tell anyone.. I think I might've just broken a sacred bond of trust. I can tolerate them because I really liked the first one and at least find elements of their later stuff really funny.. Check out the insanely ridiculous guitar intro to 'L'via L'viaquez' for one sterling example. Anyhoo this one's not going to convert any new fans but existing ones will lap it up (they're just that kind of band I guess) and no doubt have the patience to get past the first few Led Zep III (or 'Televators') style folky prog numbers before the crazily noodly Latin funk-rock kicks in. Hey, John Frusciante's in them these days. We're sure they're ripping off Bobby Brown at various points. The artwork's atrocious. Moving on..Octahedron is the stunning new album from The Mars Volta. An album heady with the emotion and high-drama that has always been the band's trademark, their newfound simplicity and focus has delivered some of the most immediate and powerful songs in their discography.
The album opens with the tender ache of "Since We've Been Wrong," Cedric's keening vocal establishing a mood that's deeply blue, powerfully melancholic, a suckerpunch that hits every bit as hard as Octahedron's unashamed rockers (the gleaming futuristic funk of "Teflon," the tense chase-music of "Cotopaxi"). Pulling back from the full-tilt experimentation of previous releases, the album invests its energies in Omar's gift for songcraft, for swooning guitar runs of high tension and emotive power ("Luciforms"' epic riffage), and for the nagging hooks and melodies that wreath the churning rhythms of "Desperate Graves." "For me, all that's important is if something moves you or not," explains chief writer Omar Rodgreguez-Lopez. "I've never tried to be tricky, to be complicated; if it gives me goosebumps, I'll use it. If it's striking, if it hits me as a listener, that's all that matters to me."
"Cotopaxi" has already been Zane Lowe's hottest record in the World, and with cover features in Rocksound and Classic Rock on the horizon, an astounding video to come, and a very special Somerset House show on 13th July, Octahedron is set to be The Mars Volta's biggest record yet.
...according to Alex Currie.
Probably the best album of the century, so far. Seriously underrated and blinded by the polished production and ballads. Definitely worth a sceond, third, fourth, fifth, etcetra to infinity, listen. Listen without prejudice, as the great man himself said.
Rating: 5 out of 5So, what do you think? Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!
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Email: phil@normanrecords.com
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