Perhaps more than any other group this decade, The Mars Volta have effectively polarized the entire community of alternative music fans. There really is no middle ground when discussing them. Those that harbor an unhealthy infatuation with the darlings of prog rock gaze across the great divide at others who lambaste Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala for their self-indulgent paeans to chaotic noise. Don’t believe me? The band’s last two efforts (Amputechture and The Bedlam in Goliath) have both debuted in the top ten on the Billboard 200 despite being widely panned by critics.But The Mars Volta’s fifth studio album may serve to considerably narrow the gap between the fans and detractors because the band has created their most accessible record to date. It seems like ages ago when we were listening to all of that hokum about a haunted Ouija board and its influence on The Bedlam in Goliath. Well, even though that was in January of last year, it may just as well have been a long time ago considering the stark difference in sound on The Bedlam and Octahedron.
Rodriguez-Lopez, who writes and arranges an overwhelming majority of the band’s material, has called Octahedron The Mars Volta’s acoustic album. Although that’s not entirely true, Octahedron’s eight tracks do offer more of a stripped-down sound than anything found on preceding albums. To be sure, plenty of cacophony still exists on the record, but the sound is a lot less busy and a lot less complex. What does that mean? Well, for instance, if you enjoyed the saxophone, clarinet, and flute fills found on other Mars Volta records, you’ll be saddened to learn that Adrian Terrazas is nowhere to be found on Octahedron. His absence is quite noticeable if you’re a fan of Amputechture or The Bedlam.
Octahedron opens with the elegiac “Since We’ve Been Wrong,” which finds Bixler-Zavala singing somberly over nothing more than a plucked acoustic guitar. An electric guitar cries mournfully over the chorus, but Thomas Pridgen’s powerful drumming is completely absent for over five minutes. It’s bare bones. Nothing else on Octahedron sounds quite as sad and naked as the opener, but it most definitely serves as a statement regarding the different sound that exists on the album.
“Teflon” ventures back into familiar territory for the band. It joins “Cotopaxi” and “Desperate Graves” as the album’s rockers, with Bixler-Zavala wailing over a canvas of distorted guitars and Pridgen’s bombastic percussion. “Luciforms,”—which closes the out the album—would also mesh well with previous Volta albums, save for the elongated intro that sounds something like Pink Floyd blending with Mechanical Animals-era Marilyn Manson. But though there’s a semblance of the band’s traditional sound, it’s a lot leaner. Clocking in at 50 minutes, Rodriguez-Lopez has discarded the interminable guitar solos and unnecessarily long segments of ambient noise to craft a polished piece of music that flows smoothly from start to finish.
“With Twilight as My Guide” is Octahedron’s standout track by a large margin. An acoustic guitar meanders over a hauntingly ethereal background as Bixler-Zavala offers up a beautifully fragile tale of isolation and loneliness. It won’t find its way onto popular radio, but it’s easily one of the most rewarding listening experiences you’ll have with this band.
Those who’ve laughed at the absurdity of Bixler-Zavala’s lyrics in the past won’t find anything different on Octahedron. He’s just as cryptic as ever, although there are a few moments of lyrical lucidity that stand out among his absurd and arcane language. In “With Twilight as My Guide,” Bixler-Zavala sings that “my devil makes me dream like no other mortal dreams.” It may be the simplest and most profound thing he’ll ever write. For the most part, though, attempting to understand TMV’s esoterica is a fruitless endeavor. Toss the liner notes aside and enjoy the musicianship.
If a newbie wanted to give The Mars Volta a spin, one would be hard pressed to recommend any of the band’s other work over Octahedron. That’s not to say that there’s nothing worthwhile in the rest of their extensive catalog, but this newest album would definitely be the most palatable for the uninitiated. Conversely, Octahedron is tremendously enjoyable for dedicated fans despite the slight change in direction. It’s markedly different than the band’s magnum opus Frances the Mute, but in several ways it may be the superior record.
Thanks for reading! Happy listening! Here are some of the new tracks (thanks to YouTube):
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