by Nicholas James Von Pless, http://news.bbc.co.uk
Posted in on Sunday, Mar 27
After releasing “De-loused in the Comatorium”, you have to wonder how The Mars Volta can follow up with an equal or better record, or just end up in a sophomore slump. With songs that kept us wanting more of Cedric Bixler’s soaring vocals and Omar Rodriguez’s excessive guitar arrangements, it seemed impossible to recapture such energy on another album. However, on “Francis the Mute”, The Mars Volta picks up friends John Frusciante and Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) once again, and takes us on a textured journey that lasts almost 80 minutes.
“Francis the Mute” offers a little more melody this time through. On the first track, “Cygnus…Vismund Cygnus”, Mars Volta gives us the first of many stories on the record. With constant time changes and a boggling bass line never ceasing to become old news, Cedric joins the chaos with words that were barely meant to ever be used together. Take “chrome the fetal mirage” as an example. “Cygnus” also contains a good mix of real and processed sounds as well, deepening the dynamics of the song. While the end of the song has expected erroneous effects to round out at about 13 minutes, it stops before it gets too annoying, and leads into the next song.
“The Widow” opens slowly, and becomes loud, skillfully without losing the smooth tempo. Though the song is only three and a half minutes, it still maintains a ballad feel. This is really the part of the album that allows Omar’s guitar skills to shine, while Flea places a flying trumpet harmony behind it all. However, what’s most important is not how these guitar parts are played, but how well they are arranged and mixed together. Again though, after a wonderful ending, the speakers intrude on the listener’s ears with layered, atonal, and inane processor effects, which cut out right as your finger is about to press “TRACK FORWARD”, which leads us to “L’Via L’Viaquez”. To me, this is one of the top songs on “Francis the Mute”, but that could be because I know enough Spanish to enjoy the words. Really though, this song is packed with some great parts. First off, there are two very impressive guitar solos by Frusciante, that not only shred some notes, but have impeccable tone and smoothness. Think of it as a metal solo, but dipped in honey. Secondly, the extent to which Cedric changes the dynamics of his voice are just amazing. He goes from his trademark falsetto to a creepy rasp, a strong soprano, and a light growl, never missing a note, or catching his throat in the change. Added in are a few smooth Latin interludes, as well. But don’t worry, this song is at least 25% in English, so not all is lost on the ears.
In the background of all this, the band also placed a talented string and wind ensemble to round out the sounds and really add depth. However, some parts of the album are quite brassy, which definitely pound home some unforgettable riffs.
But then we’re back at the downfall of the album – too much ambience, filler music, and annoying noise. I mean, three minutes of listening to crickets is a little poor, and listening to the sound of traffic get old pretty quick. This is what’s especially annoying waiting five painful minutes for “Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore”. The song itself is a calm strings and acoustic song, primarily. After three loud and energetic songs, the album takes a break while evoking kind of a Pink Floydian vibe. And despite the first five minutes of awfulness, the middle string and trumpet movement is moody, calming, and soft, ending with a reprise of the end of “Cygnus”, which again, has probably the best bass line of the entire album.
“Cassandra Geminni” livens the album back up with a fluttering flute line and drum ‘n’ bass rhythm that melts into a chaotic chorus with, still yet, creative drum progressions and great sing-along vocals: “Now there’s no light, in the darkest of your furthest reaches.” We also hear a bass heavy bridge that is so different from the rest of the song, but fits perfectly anyway, and then moves into a Led Zeppelin-esque breakdown, moving almost to a finale, before lulling back into another grand buildup. I say grand, because it’s about six minutes long! However, the layering of instruments on top of one another keeps pulling the listener in to hear what’s added next, what gets louder, what vocal lines will change, and…how the hell are they going to end this? I mean, considering that the whole song, at this point, has taken three tracks, and we still have five long lines of lyrics left. “Cassandra” definitely and quickly becomes a jam session expanded along six tracks.
A 52-second reprise of “Cygnus” round out the album after all the jamming, wasted time, painfully repetitive riffs, and atonal tomfoolery. However, if one looks at the back of the CD case, there seems to be words to “Francis the Mute”, the title track. Are we supposed to make up our own music for this? No, it’s just another part of the album’s story, which is not the job of this reviewer to decipher.
The Mars Volta’s latest effort has once again impressed many ears with many different skills that the band excels at. There are some unforgettable bass lines, many trademark vocal parts, and some ingenious drum work, along with the solid accompaniment of the ensemble. Still, the excessive use of song interludes that sounded terrible brought down the caliber of an otherwise masterful record. I am indeed a fan of interesting and sometimes odd ideas that aren’t actually songs, but the use on “Francis the Mute” sounded simple and predictable, unlike the actual songs on the album. However, we’d always like to think that good outweighs the bad, so…
…The Final Word: 3.5 out of 5
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