Octahedron

Performer: The Mars Volta
Engineer: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez; Lars Stalfors; Isaiah Abolin
Producer: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez; Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: The Mars Volta: Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals); Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. Personnel: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, John Frusciante (guitar); Mark Aanderud (piano); Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (keyboards); Marcel Rodriguez Lopez (synthesizer); Juan Alderete De La Pena (bass instrument); Thomas Pridgen (drums). Audio Mixer: Rich Costey. Recording information: Sutton St., Brooklyn, NY (08/2008). Arranger: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. For punk, metal or hard rock bands, the unplugged album is the one that shows whether they've been succeeding simply on energy and volume, or because of real talent. (Anyone who remained a skeptic of Kurt Cobain's songwriting skills must have been converted by Nirvana's MTV UNPLUGGED masterpiece.) And OCTAHEDRON, a quieter and more subdued Mars Volta album, proves that same fact for a band that's perpetually lived on a knife's edge of tension. Recorded in less than a month, OCTAHEDRON is by no means an unplugged album--it's not acoustic, it's not confined to ballads, and includes consecutive hard rockers in "Cotopaxi" and "Desperate Graves"--but it charts a different direction for the group, and proves they don't need to shuttle between dynamic extremes in order to succeed on an artistic level. For punk, metal, or hard rock bands, the unplugged album is the one that shows whether they've been succeeding simply on energy and volume or because of real talent. (Anyone who remained a skeptic of Kurt Cobain's songwriting skills must have been converted by Nirvana's MTV Unplugged masterpiece.) And Octahedron, a quieter and more subdued Mars Volta album, proves that same fact (if not at the same level as Nirvana) for a band that's perpetually lived on a knife's edge of tension. Recorded in less than a month, Octahedron is by no means an unplugged album -- it's not acoustic, it's not confined to ballads, and it includes consecutive hard rockers in "Cotopaxi" and "Desperate Graves" -- but it charts a different direction for the Mars Volta, and proves they don't need to shuttle between dynamic extremes in order to succeed on an artistic level. The format allows a greater role and more space for John Frusciante, who accompanies Cedric Bixler-Zavala's vocals well, and also provides his own highlights, channeling the Edge on the emotional "Teflon" and, later, echoing Pink Floyd on "With Twilight as My Guide." With a few exceptions, Zavala's lyrics are as arcane as ever; the glossary for "Halo of Nembutals" alone would include the words "vermin," "sloth," "ringworms," "necrophiliacs," "carcinogen," "asp," "communion-shaped," and "palindromes." Still, they achieve scrutability far more often than in the past, and reveal more of the tenderness that was occasionally visible in Mars Volta material. ("Since We've Been Wrong," the single and first track, is especially affecting.) Calling this an unplugged album is useful only in relation to what the group has produced in the past, but what the Mars Volta created on Octahedron will provide them with more range and opportunities in the future. ~ John Bush

Rolling Stone (p.77) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[An] LP haunted by heartbreak and more focused on soulful vocal emoting than on cool time signatures and guitar flip-outs." Spin (p.94) - "[O]n gorgeous psych-soul ballads like 'Copernicus' and 'Since We've Been Wrong,' these hardcore noise freaks show off a sensual streak, while fierce rockers such as 'Teflon' and 'Cotopaxi' burn with purpose..." Alternative Press (p.111) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he Mars Volta replace much of their plasma-ball energy to mine progressive-rock history with measured dynamics, vintage Mellotrons and Cedric Bixler-Zavala's cosmic lyricism in tow..." Q (Magazine) (p.127) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he stunning 'Halo Of Nembutals' is the closest Mars Volta have yet come to combining the hard-rocking bombast of Led Zeppelin with the bravura of Santana." Paste (magazine) (p.59) - "Chock full of falsetto harmonies and lilting, distorted chord progressions, this is the group's quietest albums to date....A haunting album full of twilight poetry." Pitchfork (Website) - "Slower, with fewer breakdowns or out-of-nowhere segues into a wholly new song, it's kind of a Cliff Notes of everything the band does well."

Though Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler Zavala did time in popular Emo band At The Drive-In, their subsequent project, the Mars Volta, is a horse of an entirely different color. Instead of punk, the pair takes their influences largely from 1970s prog rock and fusion. Extended, suite-like compositions and dizzying instrumental virtuosity are the order of the day, rather than adolescent angst and primitive pounding. Mars Volta's debut album, 2003's DE-LOUSED IN THE COMATORIUM announced the band's presence with a bang, setting a standard for post-emo ambitions in the mid-2000s.

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