The Mars Volta

[borntohula]

looks like their live album "Scabdates", will be released on November 8th and will contain the following:

 

1. abrasions mount the timpani

2. take the veil cerpin taxt

3. a ) gust of mutts

4. B ) and ghosted pouts

5. caviglia

6. concertina

7. haruspex

8 cicatriz

9. a ) pt I

10. B ) pt II

11. c ) pt III

12. d ) pt IV

i thought it was a live DVD

[saturnine]

nope, cd: http://www.themarsvolta.com/newsletter/2005_09_16.html

[Disestabulistic]

I recently discovered tis band, heard a few songs, and fell in love. I rushed out and bought De-Loused in the Comatorium, and have been pretty much listening to it non-stop since. In a matter of days I've gone from never having heard of them to them being one of my all time favourite bands.

[borntohula]

nope, cd: http://www.themarsvolta.com/newsletter/2005_09_16.html

blast...

[Ravenous megin-sane]

this is pretty sweet.

[worldofnoise]

I liked Sparta first, and when I got into the history of the band, I bought the Mars Volta stuff. I think I like it better than Sparta, well for now at least...

[saturnine]

sparta doesn't hold a match to tmv

[mrjones]

and at the drive-in was head and shoulders above both of them.

[saturnine]

can neither confirm nor deny.

[crazycanuck]

I'm going to be the dissenting opinion here and say that the Mars Volta are a horrible, horrible band.

 

Flame away.

[october]

Saw the Mars Volta 2 nights ago opening for SOAD...they owned. All I can say is I wish I had rhythm like the singer...that skinny bastard could shimmy.......seriously...doing that MJ slide across the stage and the splits a la Prince....damn.

[Disestabulistic]

I'm going to be the dissenting opinion here and say that the Mars Volta are a horrible, horrible band.

 

Flame away.

Sorry, no flaming, just wanted to know why thisis your opinion. I love discussing music.

[mg_forlife]

I didn't see what the big deal was at first, but then I learned to love.

[saturnine]

you either like them or you don't. i couldn't care one way or the other. your loss.

[crazycanuck]

I'm going to be the dissenting opinion here and say that the Mars Volta are a horrible, horrible band.

 

Flame away.

Sorry, no flaming, just wanted to know why thisis your opinion. I love discussing music.

They seem really overtly Prog for the sake of being Prog.

And prententious as well. They don't need five minute guitar solos, but they put them in anyway. And they have some of the worst fans I've ever seen.

 

That and the fact that I'm not a fan of overtly serious, prog-ish rock in the first place.

[saturnine]

if they are pretentious for doing what they want then so be it. radiohead are pretentious and hell, so is matt good.

 

but if you don't like that type of music then obviously they'll suck to you.

[Disestabulistic]

ya, I don't understand all these bands being called pretentious because they are open minded.

[crazycanuck]

There's a difference between pretentious and open-minded. Look at the Mars Volta songs titles. Those are prententious, you can't dispute that.

 

The difference between Mars Volta and Radiohead are that Radiohead can write songs that are under five minutes long, and they catchy pop tunes, as well as epics like Paranoid Android. Look at 2+2=5, there's practically four parts to that song and it still clocks in at under three and a half minutes.

Edited September 21, 2005 by crazycanuck

[saturnine]

so they are pretentious because you declare them as such. yeah, look at their titles.. oh my, spanish! names of fictional characters from a story! big words!

 

the mars volta can also write short, catchy pop tunes. they did so as at the drive-in. then they got bored and here we are.

Edited September 21, 2005 by saturnine

[Disestabulistic]

The Mars Volta can write catchy songs under 5 minutes, and why should songs be short anyways, are you implying that they should be...Radio friendly?

 

As for the song titles, they are part of a story, like the names of chapters. If they seem a little verbose or strange, I for one find it refreshing to see song titles that are more than one word, ex: home, work, love, pain etc.

[saturnine]

oh, too slow, bro.

[crazycanuck]

Of course they're pretentious because I declare them as such. That's how debates work. ;)

 

And big words and references don't scare me. Here's the tracklisting of Sufjan Stevens; latest, which I absolutely adore.

 

01 Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL

02 The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience But You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, "I have fought the Big Knives and will continue to fight them until they are off our lands!"

03 Come on! Feel the Illinoise!

-Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition

-Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream

04 John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

05 Jacksonville

06 A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, But for Very Good Reasons

07 Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step Mother!

08 One Last "Woo-hoo!" for the Pullman

09 Chicago

10 Casimir Pulaski Day

11 To the Workers of the Rockford River Valley Region, I have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament, and it involves shoe string, a lavender garland, and twelve strong women

12 The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts

13 Prairie Fire That Wanders About

14 A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in Which Sufjan Stevens Has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze

15 The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!

16 They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhhh!

17 Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All the Way Out in Bushnell

18 In This Temple, as in the Hearts of Man, for Whom He Saved the Earth

19 The Seer's Tower

20 The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders

-Part I: The Great Frontier

-Part II: Come to Me Only With Playthings Now

21 Riffs and Variations on a Single Note for Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, and the King of Swing, to Name a Few

22 Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I shake the dirt from my sandals as I run

 

 

I have no problem with big words and allusions in song titles. It just seems that The Mars Volta have to do everything big and epic, and make it seem like they're smarter than you. They're wanks, the type of people that memorize a really complicated solo at home then go to guitar shops and play it there just to show off.

 

If you want big, epic multi-act songs, delve into the world of post-rock instead. Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Do Make Say Think, Sigur Ros, etc.

 

and I Quite Like This Article

 

EDIT

 

hy should songs be short anyways, are you implying that they should be...Radio friendly?

 

There is no harder song to write than a great three minute pop song. I'm not talking specifically radio friendly, because 2+2=5 bombed as a single, just a song with some great pop hooks.

Edited September 21, 2005 by crazycanuck

[mrs jesus]

Of course they're pretentious because I declare them as such. That's how debates work.  ;)

that only works with me

 

And big words and references don't scare me. Here's the tracklisting of Sufjan Stevens; latest, which I absolutely adore.

 

01 Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL

02 The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience But You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, "I have fought the Big Knives and will continue to fight them until they are off our lands!"

03 Come on! Feel the Illinoise!

-Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition

-Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream

04 John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

05 Jacksonville

06 A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, But for Very Good Reasons

07 Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step Mother!

08 One Last "Woo-hoo!" for the Pullman

09 Chicago

10 Casimir Pulaski Day

11 To the Workers of the Rockford River Valley Region, I have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament, and it involves shoe string, a lavender garland, and twelve strong women

12 The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts

13 Prairie Fire That Wanders About

14 A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in Which Sufjan Stevens Has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze

15 The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!

16 They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhhh!

17 Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All the Way Out in Bushnell

18 In This Temple, as in the Hearts of Man, for Whom He Saved the Earth

19 The Seer's Tower

20 The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders

-Part I: The Great Frontier

-Part II: Come to Me Only With Playthings Now

21 Riffs and Variations on a Single Note for Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, and the King of Swing, to Name a Few

22 Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I shake the dirt from my sandals as I run

 

 

I have no problem with big words and allusions in song titles. It just seems that The Mars Volta have to do everything big and epic, and make it seem like they're smarter than you. They're wanks, the type of people that memorize a really complicated solo at home then go to guitar shops and play it there just to show off.

 

If you want big, epic multi-act songs, delve into the world of post-rock instead. Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Do Make Say Think, Sigur Ros, etc. 

 

and I Quite Like This Article

 

i am thinking about a word. it starts with an i.

[saturnine]

i would say the song titles you just listed go above and beyond trying to be epic.. i'm aware of all those post-rock bands.. and they are no less pretentious than the mars volta. i think pretentiousness prevails amongst all bands in these quasi-intelligent, rock snob genres.

[crazycanuck]

i am thinking about a word. it starts with an i.

Is it Ice Cream?

 

The difference with Sufjan though is that he knows it's all a lark anyway. He's having fun with it. When was the last time The Mars Volta had some fun?

 

 

(My indie yuppiness is so horribly outnumbered on this board)

Edited September 21, 2005 by crazycanuck