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Post by Spiderman: Resident Ninja on Jul 17, 2003 20:21:07 GMT -5
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Post by yarrow on Jul 18, 2003 15:27:49 GMT -5
the link doesn't work. is it a long one? maybe u could cut and paste it.
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Post by Spiderman: Resident Ninja on Jul 18, 2003 17:12:46 GMT -5
actually i think the site is having issues  - spidey |
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Post by toolqotsakyuss on Jul 19, 2003 10:54:24 GMT -5
well the link is screwed up, but i went through the site itself to find the review. so here it is..
Full Review:
Artist: The Mars Volta
Album: De-Loused In The Comatorium
Released 2003 on
“The revolution will not be televised” claimed Gil Scott Heron, but when Smells like Teen Spirit started to drown out everything else on MTV, the Heron was left looking a bit silly. Not now though, for there is a new faction who have just released one of the most eagerly awaited records since Kid A, and have started the new revolution. Forget the NME and their “nu-rock revolution”; The Mars Volta have delivered the future of rock n roll, right now. Rising from the ashes of the now defunct At The Drive In, The Mars Volta have surpassed all expectations. Their old band threatened to do what De-Loused In The Comatorium has done, but never managed it. The two members of the band who were in ATDI were being held back. They claim they were restricted to the confines of ATDI. While this seems harsh, looking at the band formed from the other members of ATDI, Sparta, one cant help but feel thankful that Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler chose to end ATDI in favour of The Mars Volta. Indeed, Sparta are left looking like boring old dinosaurs. But what is it about The Mars Volta and this debut record that is so awe-inspiring? Based loosely upon the story of Omar and Cedrics childhood friend, Julio Venegas, the albums story focuses on Cerpin Taxt. Our tragic hero, who cannot find anything but hideous images surrounding him, decides to take his own life but lapses into a coma. Here, in his dreams, he visits strange and wonderful places, only to awaken and find the world as horrid as ever and attempts suicide again, this time successfully. Yes, it’s a concept album, but don’t scamper off hiding at the thought. Remember that two of the finest albums of the last 10-12 years, Alice in Chains’ Dirt and most recently Radioheads’ Hail to the Thief, have been concept albums. The record is dealing with the mindset of a depression struck suicide victim and the effect the death has on those who love them. Scarier than the thought of the album being a “Concept album,” is the fact that it is more an album about death (the tragic irony of this is that a few weeks before the release, Jeremy Ward who co-wrote some of the songs and was the sound engineer died of a reported drug overdose). It is through Cedrics (often indecipherable) lyrics that we receive the first hand account of our hero’s story. It begins properly with the announcement of “Now I’m lost!” on Inertiatic Esp through to his successful (second) suicide attempt 35+minutes later on the mind-blowing Cicatriz Esp, when Cedric, as Cerpin Taxt, reveals “This is my last incision.” Its harrowing, yet compulsive stuff as we listen to our hero fight his personal demons and society. Taxt feels that all his life has become is to be “Gestating with all the other rats/The vermin you need to loathe”(Son et lumiere). We also get an insight into our hero’s drug use which he will use to finally rid the world of himself and the personal guilt which it carries, and which Taxt cannot shake off, “Open wrist talks back again/ In the wounds of its skin/ They’ll pinprick the witness in ritual contrition” (Roulette Dares). In a slight paradox, our hero’s final message before he leaves the earth is for someone to gain revenge on the earth for driving him to suicide as he exclaims on (structurally) the most conventional song on the record, ‘This apparatus must be unearthed’, “Anonymous, avenge my name!”. Despite all the self loathing and fear, our tragic hero still feels his condition is not his fault, but the world which produced him. It’s the most accessible track on the album, clocking in at just under 5minutes, pretty much sticking to verse-chorus-verse-chorus formula. Though to say that it is material fit for a single is stretching it somewhat. It’s a fantastic last stand for our tragic hero, full of drama and tension, executed perfectly through the intensity of Cedrics vocals. As previously mentioned, the story isn’t entirely the first person account of Cerpin Taxts suicide. On Televators, Cedric examines and outlines the reaction of those who were affected by the suicide. The lyric is tinged with regret (“You should have seen the curse that flew right by you”), understanding Taxts’ choice of suicide (“Only this Manu pod crescent in shape has escaped”) and the hope that the warmth of the tragic heroes spirit will live on (“One day this chalk outline will circle this city”). It’s a beautiful song, the softest but perhaps most ‘human’, track on the record. Cedrics vocals have never sounded as wonderful. Full of sorrow, emotional turmoil and relief, its sublime performance by him and sets us up perfectly for the rampant finale. The album finishes with the astonishingly intense ‘Take the veil Cerpin Taxt’, where our hero, now dead, gives us his final parting shot. Warning the listener of the dangers of the possible evils in life, “The prisons you have yet to fear”, while simultaneously cursing God for wronging him when alive, “You let the shutters make sackcloth and ashes out of a blind mans picaresque heart.” It’s a remarkable ending to an absolutely mesmerizing story. Our hero has gotten his wish, but still cannot find peace with himself. Cedric blasts out the lyrics, while the band more than match his enthusiasm. Of course, all this talk of concept album and the intricate storyline make the record sound very “Prog-rock”. But truth be told, this is as far removed from the soulless tripe akin to Yes, as Pet Sounds is to the latest Westlife record. However, De-Loused In The Comatorium, and The Mars Volta, are a progressive rock band in the truest sense of the word, in the fact that they, with this debut album, are finally pushing rock music in a new direction. De-Loused… is closer to Jazz and Punk than it is to Prog. Imagine Charles Mingus making a punk record and you’ll have some sort of idea of what the terrific 4minute free-guitar section of Cicatriz Esp is like. The swathes of guest guitarist John Frusicantes guitar mixing with Omars, are some of the finest musical creations around today. Of course sections like this will always draw dissenters but those complaining that it is over indulgent are missing the point. Great music has got to be selfish or it can’t be true. Any artist making music to fit a specific genre or audience is cheapening and degrading the music. The Mars Volta have released an album which defies genres, which defies what should and shouldn’t be. Its indulgent yes, but its never insincere. And it is this sincerity, behind the wonderful musical meanderings and sonic joys, which enable the album to be considered great. De-Loused In The Comatorium is a record which encompasses virtually every great band of the past 30-40 years and more. From Zeppelin to Sigur Rós, Metallica to Charles Mingus. Everything bar the kitchen sink has been thrown into this record yet it is never anything but revolutionary. Ah, there’s that word again. Ever since Silverchair and Bush were signed on the coattails of Nirvana, rock music has been in need of a revolution to stave off the fakes and the bullshit. Now, however, we have a record which has come, like Nevermind 12 years ago, like Zeppelin I 20+ years ago, like Revolver and The Velvet Underground and Nico before that, to change the course of rock music. De-Loused… is the blueprint for the future of rock music, now. One of the finest albums you’ll ever hear. The revolution has begun.
Rated: 5/5
Reviewed on 06 July 2003 by Michael Jordan
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Post by Spiderman: Resident Ninja on Jul 19, 2003 15:22:10 GMT -5
Good stuff man.. and welcome to the board
- spidey
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anavrin
Televator
if i could quote omars guitar playing, it would go here.
Posts: 216
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Post by anavrin on Jul 19, 2003 16:48:13 GMT -5
that was a good read.
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Post by WorshipYourToaster on Jul 19, 2003 18:22:29 GMT -5
Well. That person seemed to kind of enjoy the album.
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