The Mars Volta marked the first decade of our century with an unprecedented sound combining the energy of post-hardcore and the complexity of post-prog. But ten years after their last effort NocturnstileCedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez had other things on their minds as they restarted the TMV machine.
Posted at 4:30 p.m.
Already expressed implicitly from the beginning of the adventure in 2002, the Latin rhythms explode here from the outset on Blacklight Shine, supported by the shimmering bass of Eva Gardner, back with the group, 20 years later. However, we find the same tension, that specific to The Mars Volta, but in a new, accessible way. This atmosphere is immediately transmitted to Graveyard Love, which nevertheless displays a surprising electro bill. The table is set, Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez invite us to their own pop experience, intention confirmed on the soul ballad Shore Storywhich ends when the Texan singer asks to be allowed to live his mutiny.
Mutiny, really? Purists can be reassured, we find the post-prog essence of TMV on Blank Condolencesin a formula certainly more contained, the audacity coming here from the organic sounds of the mellotron, the wah-wah and the Fender Rhodes. Flash Burns From Flashlights is another immensely rich pop song, drummer Willy Rodriguez Quiñones’ edgy, syncopated rhythms managing to find a way to be perfectly languorous, backed by Rodriguez-Lopez’s powerful yet soaring chords. No Box No Gain arrives as a refreshing nod to the energy that Bixler-Zavala displayed at the time of the legendary album De-Loused in the Crematoriumand before that within the underestimated formation At The Drive-In, initial project of the duo at the origin of The Mars Volta.
It is however in the walks Palm Full of Crux and Tourmaline that the incredible talent of Bixler-Zavala as a melodist is the most highlighted, showing all the relevance of this new vehicle that The Mars Volta defines as its own interpretation of pop.
PROGRESSIVE ROCK
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
Sony Music