First, a minor piece of housekeeping: while there are 12 tracks on Frances The Mute, this work should be treated in five separate yet connected parts made of 15 movements, as the band suggests with their chapter and verse tracklisting.
Now, onward we go. The core of The Mars Volta, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, carry preternatural technical abilities, which are on display from the psychotic, Latino influenced rock of Sarcophagi, which bookends the album, through the emotional saturation of the string and brass spined Con Safo but frustratingly absent from the noodling first-half of Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore.
Segues are not songs but The Mars Volta occasionally try to convince you otherwise. While they steer clear of the ridiculous, dripping fuzz that threatened to consume their first album, the band flirts dangerously with unnecessary effects and fades. Much of it justifiably adds fuel to critics unable to accept the band's vision.
However, Flea's cold, still trumpet solo saves Miranda and signifies the strong step towards free-range jazz and away from any remaining post-punk tendencies the band had been holding on to since their days in seminal punk outfit At the Drive-In.
L'Via L'Viaquez encapsulates everything refreshing and important about The Mars Volta. The one movement song never deviates from its winding path. A song so filled with multiple rhythms, lyrical concepts and instruments could easily fall off the mountain pass but Bixler-Zavala's organic vocals hold everything together. If there is one identifying feature of the band it is the wonderful, yawning voice of the former At the Drive-In frontman.
For this writer, the risk and occasional failure of The Mars Volta only adds further weight to the claims of those applauding the band.
The noodling missteps on Frances (always outweighed by the triumphs) mean The Mars Volta can lay claim to being one of the few truly risky bands, a band capable of nearly always justifying their uncommon risk with lush, fully realised songs.
4/4
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis March 2005Reviewed by Luke KruseWelcome to a world of extreme hair, ambient noise, 30 minute "suites," dying friends, and bizarre lyrics inspired by mysterious journals. Welcome to the world of The Mars Volta. It is hard to write a review on this incredibly talented band that does not rehash what you have likely read countless times before: Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez dissolve beloved El Paso, Texas post-punk…The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Leslie BogarFans of The Mars Volta may be expecting this sophomore CD to be somewhat like De-loused In the Comatorium. Don't go there. With the unveiling of Francis the Mute, The Mars Volta has shown its chameleon-like ability to change from one style to the next without blinking an eye. Die hard fans will appreciate the change and stick around for the ride, while those that liked the style of the first CD…Similar sounding releases
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