Even if I take into account the most over-indulgent cases of prog-rock excess from the dark dungeons of the 1970s, the award for the absolutely most retarded song titles goes to THE MARS VOLTA, their sophomore studio endeavor “Frances the Mute,” in particular. Nonetheless, released on February 11th, 2005, via Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal, this progressive everything-bagel made multiple ”Best Of” lists by the end of the year – and for a bloody good reason, too! Some of the material on this outing pre-dated their haunting debut “De-Loused in the Comatorium” (2003), derived from the band’s early days, and that probably factored into the album’s high-octane appeal. Later, the band suffered the fate of so many prog-rock dinosaurs before their time and got sucked pretty deep into the inescapable vortex of prog-rock gluttony but, on their first two studio albums, THE MARS VOLTA was fire. Within the first week of release, “Frances the Mute” sold over 100,000 copies and debuted at number four on the Billboard Album Charts. It was not a small feat, considering it happened in the era when most people actually still bought their music in physical format. The edited version of “L’Via L’Viaquez” even made it to Guitar Hero – we’re talking about a HUGE album here, folks. One of the myriad peculiarities about this album is that its title track, “Frances the Mute” is not even included in the standard CD pressing. It was left out due to time constraints but the lyrics for it appeared on the CD jewel case tray. The song itself got released as a B-side to the single, “The Widow.” At the time, we aspiring prog enthusiasts didn’t really mind. We were too blown away by the sheer magnitude of the progressive extravaganza of it all to even notice that the song was missing. Ah, yes – the music…
The album kicks off with a 13-minute prog suite “Cygnus…Vismund Cygnus,” which is further divided into four movements – “Sarcophagi,” “Umbilical Syllables,” “Facilis Descensus Averni,” and “Con Safo,” respectively. Yeah, what did I tell you about retarded song titles? I guess there is some overarching storyline that runs through the songs but, similar to the debut, it is probably just some psilocybic lore from the subconscious void, something which I’m not going to touch here. The music, however, slaps. The first movement, in particular, is all about diabolically funky, breakneck grooves that paint a picture somewhat reminiscent of vintage LED ZEPPELING on steroids – a vibe conveyed also by some of the bangers on the debut. So, the opener kind of picks up on where “De-Loused” left off. Here and there, the plot thickens with a heroic dose of psychedelia – a trait that has become one of the band’s signature quirks by now. The coda boils down to a few minutes of ambient soundscapes that are not perhaps that necessary but, anyhow, serve as a nice breather before the next onslaught of prog excess.
Well, actually… “The Widow” is one of the very few “normal” songs on the album. I mean, it is as normal as you could expect from this bunch – a spaghetti-western ballad with horns and bluesy Hammond organ and all. Okay, the latter half of the song is basically comprised of atonal sci-fi noises and mindless organ doodlings, so there you go. You ain’t having “normal” with these guys, I’m afraid. As far as the actual song goes, it is one of the best songs in the massive THE MARS VOLTA catalog to date. In 2017, Ché Aimee Dorval released nothing short of an inspired cover rendition of the song, which further demonstrated how brilliant it really is – one of the absolute highlights of “Frances the Mute.”
Next, the other pinnacle track of this selection, “L’Via L’Viaquez,” blends LED ZEPPELIN flourishes with Latin jazz grooves to a highly resonant effect. Here, again, these esoteric prog sages cannot refrain from resorting to overblown weirdness, and the coda of the song is merely comprised of a highly processed vocal track and general tomfoolery. On magic mushrooms, the idea must have seemed like a stroke of absolute genius, I reckon – and it only gets worse, sort of…
The first 6 minutes of “Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore” boil down to an ambient soundscape echoing the sinister atmosphere of many a horror video-game soundtrack. When the song eventually begins, it continues with this unsettling, cinematic aesthetic. Drums do not enter until around the 8-minute mark and, then, just when the song begins to pack some genuine punch, the coda cools down to some ornate, yet plaintive trumpets and gravely progressing strings. That said, I kind of like the song, even with all of its artful nonsense. Then again, I’m all in for avant-garde cinematics when it comes to music.
Actually, “Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore” is another multi-part suite, of which that 13-minute exercise in cinematic atmospherics is just the first movement, entitled “Vade Mecum.” The next movement, “Pour Another Icepick” gears up on the band’s signature uptempo prog-grooves, with free-jazzy saxophones and all. That groove blends seamlessly into the next movement, “Pisacis (Phra-Men-Ma),” which rolls out more breakneck riffs of the retro-vintage-psychedelia variety. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE would have certainly approved. Finally, the last movement entitled “Con Safo” puts an orchestral frosting on this riff cake. The vibe of this beast is like a haunting cross between Gil Evans and LED ZEPPELIN.
The album ends with yet another multi-part suite. “Cassandra Gemini” is split into five movements that bleed into each other. The first part, “Tarantism” keeps up the riff momentum initiated by the previous tracks – well, for the first two minutes, anyway. The rest of the song is comprised of atmospheric psychedelia, occasional Hammond bursts, and avant-garde noise. Then, “Plant A Nail in the Navel Stream” offers 5 more minutes of ambient psychedelia. The next movement, “Faminepulse” is another chapter of psychedelia, this time adorned with free-jazzy saxophones paying homage to John Coltrane. If you don’t like jazz of that sort, you’re out of luck. For me, this is one of the best tracks on this album! The last two movements clock barely a minute each, so they are more like codas rather than individual songs. First, “Multiple Spouse Wounds” offers some banging riffs. Last, “Sarcophagi” brings this magical mystery tour to a close with a little acoustic strumming.
On paper, none of the above might come off exactly as the winning combo when it comes to a haunting progressive-rock experience. There was something weirdly appealing in this over-the-top prog offering, though, when it originally came out – and still is. Despite all the technical proficiency, the solos are kept to a minimum, and the modus operandi is less about showing off and more about building sonic superstructures that force their way into your soul for keeps. THE MARS VOLTA took the sonic template of their impressive debut and ran amok with it – and it paid off rather well, especially in comparison with their later stream-of-consciousness excursions into this sort of prog excess. A sublime album, against all odds.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Cygnus….Vismund Cygnus
- The Widow
- L’Via L’Viaquez
- Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore: A. Vade Mecum
- Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore: B. Pour Another Icepick
- Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore: C. Pisacis (Phra-Men-Ma)
- Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore: D. Con Safo
- Cassandra Gemini: A. Tarantism
- Cassandra Gemini: B. Plant A Nail in the Navel Stream
- Cassandra Gemini: C. Faminepulse
- Cassandra Gemini: D. Multiple Spouse Wounds
- Cassandra Gemini: E. Sarcophagi
Lineup
Omar Rodriguez-López – guitars, synths, field recordings
Cedric Bixler-Zavala – vocals
Jon Theodore – drums
Isaiah ”Ikey” Owens – keyboards
Juan Alderete de la Pena – bass
Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez – percussion, keyboards
Additional musicians:
Lenny Castro – percussion
Flea – trumpet on “The Widow” and “Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore”
John Frusciante – first two guitar solos on “L’Via L’Viaquez”
Larry Harlow – piano on “L’Via L’Viaquez”, treated clarinet on “Cassandra Gemini”
Adrián Terrazas-González – tenor sax, flute on “Cassandra Gemini”
Salvador (Chava) Hernandez – trumpet
Wayne Bergeron – trumpet
Randy Jones – tuba
Roger Manning – piano
Nicholas Lane – trombone
William Reichenbach – bass trombone
David Campbell – string & brass arrangements
Larry Corbett – cello
Suzie Katayama – cello
Violins:
Fernando Moreno
Erick Hernandez
Diego Casillas
Ernesto Molina
Joel Derouin
Roberto Cani
Mario De Leon
Peter Kent
Josefina Vergara
Label
Gold Standard Laboratories / Universal
Links
https://www.themarsvoltaofficial.com
