The Mars Volta performs at the Sasquatch Music Festival in Washington in 2008.
Formed from the ashes of the band At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta consists primarily of guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, though the band has been known to tour and record with a myriad of musical talents. Isaiah Ikey Owens has been the band’s keyboardist since their 2001 start, Juan Alderete has played bass since 2003 and Thomas Pridgen took over on drums in 2007. Currently, The Mars Volta tours and records with as many as nine musicians and 15 sound manipulators.
The band released their first full-length LP in 2003, titled “De-Loused in the Comatorium,” in which the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea was featured in nine of the album’s 10 tracks. Fueled by songs like “Roulette Dares (The Haunt of)” and “Drunkship of Lanterns,” the concept album (based on the visions seen in a drug-induced haze) was critically praised for its off-the-wall lyrics and trippy sound production.
The Mars Volta followed up in 2005 with “Frances the Mute,” a five-track LP with a run-time that stretched over an hour. Another concept album (said to be inspired by the characters in a diary found by a producer when he worked as a repossession-man), “Frances” was met with mixed reviews. The album’s first single, “The Widow” received heavy radio and TV airplay in the summer of 2005, making The Mars Volta a household name for the first time.
After touring the world and releasing their third studio album “Amputechture” in 2006 to little recognition other than from devoted fans, The Mars Volta went back into the studio in 2007 and began work on their next LP.
Rumor has it that this fourth album, eventually titled “The Bedlam in Goliath” was haunted by spirits brought forth by an Ouija board bought in a shop in Jerusalem by Rodriguez-Lopez. According to reports, The Mars Volta’s recording studio flooded twice, tracks would go missing without reason and the band eventually had to bury the game board to get the LP finished.
Perhaps the presence of spirits may be the reason for the sometimes scatter-brained, unmelodious and atmospheric music heard on “The Bedlam in Gotham.” Still, I think that while “De-Loused in the Comatorium” is The Mars Volta’s masterpiece, their most recent work is their most personal; Rodriguez-Lopez’ high-pitched, haunting voice is crystal clear and supported perfectly by the intriguing mix of spacy guitar riffs, weightless synthesizers and heavy drums.
The Mars Volta is like a good wine – they only get better with age. After touring for nearly the entirety of 2008, the band is surely working on new material that (fingers crossed) may premiere at Bonnaroo this year.
Here’s hoping they jam for hours in June! (Photo below courtesy of F_de_falso on Flickr)
The Mars Volta performs at the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile in 2008.
Bonnaroo or Bust! 