I think you could use some energy to carry you into your weekend. I know I could. So your almost-on-time (!) Friday song is loud and abrasive and chosen with the intention of kick-starting your evening. Sound good? Good!
If I had to encapsulate the sound that Washington State's Wild Throne have crafted in "Harvest of Darkness", the eponymous first single from their upcoming Harvest of Darkness -- which I suppose I do -- I guess I'd say it's a blend of noisy hardcore/post-hardcore akin to Converge and the weirdness and acrobatic vocal delivery of a Mars Volta.
I don't know how this comparison stacks up for the rest of the album Harvest of Darkness, but single "Harvest of Darkness" is a little slice of off-kilter energy that should be enough to light your fuse for the next two workless days ahead. Enjoy!
Showing posts with label The Mars Volta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Mars Volta. Show all posts
Saturday, 8 August 2015
Saturday, 1 August 2015
Thursday: The Mars Volta - Cavalettas
Longtime readers will hopefully be aware of my love of The Mars Volta, but they'll also hopefully remember how often I've talked about the fine line between jammed-out space prog and unfocused meandering mess. Your Throwback Thursday song this week rides that line nicely.
To get at said song, we've got to throw it back to 2008's The Bedlam in Goliath, an album that rides that same line a little bit. Previous album Amputechture had a tendency to step over that line, but tempered this with more moments of instrumental brilliance. Follow-up Octahedron was a little too loose and free-form, with too much space for live work and not enough goodness on the record itself.
But Bedlam strikes a better balance, with tracks like "Cavalettas" leading the charge. Conventional song structures and instrumental choices aren't exactly de rigeur, but neither are some of the indulgent, extraneous passages that really weigh down a lot of later Mars Volta stuff. Agree with me? Disagree? Thoughts of any kind? Comment upon it, son!
To get at said song, we've got to throw it back to 2008's The Bedlam in Goliath, an album that rides that same line a little bit. Previous album Amputechture had a tendency to step over that line, but tempered this with more moments of instrumental brilliance. Follow-up Octahedron was a little too loose and free-form, with too much space for live work and not enough goodness on the record itself.
But Bedlam strikes a better balance, with tracks like "Cavalettas" leading the charge. Conventional song structures and instrumental choices aren't exactly de rigeur, but neither are some of the indulgent, extraneous passages that really weigh down a lot of later Mars Volta stuff. Agree with me? Disagree? Thoughts of any kind? Comment upon it, son!
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Saturday: The Kindred - An Evolution of Thought
Let's keep the ball rolling with a little bit of proggy-smelling post-hardcore courtesy of the Canadians Formerly Known as Today I Caught the Plague. (I suppose it's been long enough that we should all probably stop making reference to how they used to be called something else, but hey, I needed an intro.)
The Kindred's sophomore disc Life in Lucidity (their first under the new The Kindred moniker) is more than a year old already, but it's got an energy and a style that still feels fresh to me. It's hard to describe, so here's the deal: I could name a dozen bands that The Kindred and Life in Lucidity remind me of (for example, I get some Coheed and Cambria, some reined-in Mars Volta, some Protest the Hero...), or you could just listen to "An Evolution of Thought" and check 'em out for your own self.
Of course, the flipside to me still enjoying your record that's been out more than a year is that no matter how fresh it remains, new material can never come soon enough. So, The Kindred, new record, yes?
The Kindred's sophomore disc Life in Lucidity (their first under the new The Kindred moniker) is more than a year old already, but it's got an energy and a style that still feels fresh to me. It's hard to describe, so here's the deal: I could name a dozen bands that The Kindred and Life in Lucidity remind me of (for example, I get some Coheed and Cambria, some reined-in Mars Volta, some Protest the Hero...), or you could just listen to "An Evolution of Thought" and check 'em out for your own self.
Of course, the flipside to me still enjoying your record that's been out more than a year is that no matter how fresh it remains, new material can never come soon enough. So, The Kindred, new record, yes?
Monday, 15 June 2015
Friday: Thank You Scientist - In the Company of Worms
Keeping the ball rolling, let's go for an alliterative Funky Friday with some multi-instrumentalist prog from New Jersey's Thank You Scientist.
Thank You Scientist's debut LP Maps of Non-Existent places is chock full of energetic prog rock that runs a gamut of moods and styles. A variety of horns and strings provide an extra twist, add an interesting dimension to the at-times almost shreddy virtuosity, and take songs that are already great to a whole other level. If you've not heard them before, think Mars Volta with less Latin influence and leaner, more focused songwriting, and then press play on "In the Company of Worms". Very tasty.
Thank You Scientist's debut LP Maps of Non-Existent places is chock full of energetic prog rock that runs a gamut of moods and styles. A variety of horns and strings provide an extra twist, add an interesting dimension to the at-times almost shreddy virtuosity, and take songs that are already great to a whole other level. If you've not heard them before, think Mars Volta with less Latin influence and leaner, more focused songwriting, and then press play on "In the Company of Worms". Very tasty.
Sunday, 11 January 2015
Rishloo - Landmines
It isn't every day that you come across a band that genuinely warrants comparison to one of the greatest prog bands of the last decade or two. It isn't every day, but it might just be today.
Despite the fact that their later albums grew increasingly more hit or miss for this particular fan, there's no denying that The Mars Volta was more than capable of crafting some magic, when they managed to rein in their own musicianship. Listening to the track "Landmines" from Seattle band Rishloo's latest album Living as Ghosts with Buildings as Teeth invites comparison to some of those more focused efforts.
Some gnarly guitar tones, some powerful vocal work, and a shifting compositional sense that doesn't sit too still for too long all add up to some interesting prog rock. It doesn't so much sound like a band trying to ape Mars Volta as it does a band whose sound happens to have evolved some aspects similar to that kind of a sound.
Any road, the bottom line is that fans of good modern prog rock will dig these guys and as such would be well advised to check them out. You're welcome.
Despite the fact that their later albums grew increasingly more hit or miss for this particular fan, there's no denying that The Mars Volta was more than capable of crafting some magic, when they managed to rein in their own musicianship. Listening to the track "Landmines" from Seattle band Rishloo's latest album Living as Ghosts with Buildings as Teeth invites comparison to some of those more focused efforts.
Some gnarly guitar tones, some powerful vocal work, and a shifting compositional sense that doesn't sit too still for too long all add up to some interesting prog rock. It doesn't so much sound like a band trying to ape Mars Volta as it does a band whose sound happens to have evolved some aspects similar to that kind of a sound.
Any road, the bottom line is that fans of good modern prog rock will dig these guys and as such would be well advised to check them out. You're welcome.
Thursday, 1 January 2015
Monday: The Mars Volta - Cotopaxi
We're continuing to battle the clock here at Loud Noises, and by my watch it's time for a song for this past Monday. We're almost there, people!
As it so often does around here, Monday means alliteration this week, in the form of a Mars Volta Monday. Usually, as you should know by now, I'd be more likely to pick something from the band's earlier work, since that's the stuff I both like the best and think is objectively the best quality. But today I'm going with something a little later in the band's catalogue for your Monday Mars Volta song.
That song is "Cotopaxi" from 2009's Octahedron, which normally I would consider to be one of The Mars Volta's less cohesive, less focused works. But at less than four minutes, "Cotopaxi" doesn't have time to wander or overstay its welcome, and it's all the better for it. Check it out if you want example of a later Mars Volta effort that's still concise and coherent.
As it so often does around here, Monday means alliteration this week, in the form of a Mars Volta Monday. Usually, as you should know by now, I'd be more likely to pick something from the band's earlier work, since that's the stuff I both like the best and think is objectively the best quality. But today I'm going with something a little later in the band's catalogue for your Monday Mars Volta song.
That song is "Cotopaxi" from 2009's Octahedron, which normally I would consider to be one of The Mars Volta's less cohesive, less focused works. But at less than four minutes, "Cotopaxi" doesn't have time to wander or overstay its welcome, and it's all the better for it. Check it out if you want example of a later Mars Volta effort that's still concise and coherent.
Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Album of the Week: The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
I'm going throwback Tuesday with this week's Album of the Week post, taking you right back to the early days of the blog for this week's pick. In trying to recommend an album each week, I'm trying to pick something that has enough meat on its bones to stand up to repeated listens.
The ideal Album of the Week should in fact not only stand up to repeated listening but actually reward it, revealing new facets and aspects with every time through. One of the very first bands I wrote about two years ago has a back catalogue that includes several such albums, but as far as The Mars Volta is concerned, I really think you're best served to start at the start.
De-loused in the Comatorium is still, in my opinion, the band's best work. Even if you knew At the Drive-In and the story of its demise and the band's it spawned, you still couldn't have been ready for the style of high-energy salsa prog Omar and Cedric brewed up in De-loused. Later albums got further and further out there, to the point that "prog" sometimes veered into "wankery", but De-loused struck the perfect balance of focus and meandering jamitude.
I know I say this all the time, but this really is a case of if you're already a fan it's probably time you revisited this record, and if you're not it's probably time you got familiar. Mars Volta fans who got on board later in the band's career take special note: this is the band in its prime. If you don't know this album, you need to, so study up this week. It'll be on the quiz.
The ideal Album of the Week should in fact not only stand up to repeated listening but actually reward it, revealing new facets and aspects with every time through. One of the very first bands I wrote about two years ago has a back catalogue that includes several such albums, but as far as The Mars Volta is concerned, I really think you're best served to start at the start.
De-loused in the Comatorium is still, in my opinion, the band's best work. Even if you knew At the Drive-In and the story of its demise and the band's it spawned, you still couldn't have been ready for the style of high-energy salsa prog Omar and Cedric brewed up in De-loused. Later albums got further and further out there, to the point that "prog" sometimes veered into "wankery", but De-loused struck the perfect balance of focus and meandering jamitude.
I know I say this all the time, but this really is a case of if you're already a fan it's probably time you revisited this record, and if you're not it's probably time you got familiar. Mars Volta fans who got on board later in the band's career take special note: this is the band in its prime. If you don't know this album, you need to, so study up this week. It'll be on the quiz.
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Monday: Closure in Moscow - Neoprene Byzantine
My long-awaited pre-order copy of Closure in Moscow's latest, Pink Lemonade, has finally emerged from the land down under and landed in my mailbox. Fans looking for more in the vein of debut LP First Temple might be a little disappointed, but fans just looking for something fun and different may just have their record for the summer.
While the latter (ie: First Temple) was a well-crafted slice of melodic post-hardcore/post-rock with some proggy twists and turns here and there, the former (the new Pink Lemonade) is an altogether funkier beast, melding energetic space rock with pornolicious grooves that would be at home in a 70's skin flick.
It doesn't hurt that vocalist Christopher de Cinque can a) boast a range and tone not unlike Cedric from The Mars Volta, and b) turn a phrase or two. Take today's song: "Neoprene Byzantine" is just a fun pair of words to say, even when not married to some seriously funky rock. Check it out and marvel at how far these guys have come.
While the latter (ie: First Temple) was a well-crafted slice of melodic post-hardcore/post-rock with some proggy twists and turns here and there, the former (the new Pink Lemonade) is an altogether funkier beast, melding energetic space rock with pornolicious grooves that would be at home in a 70's skin flick.
It doesn't hurt that vocalist Christopher de Cinque can a) boast a range and tone not unlike Cedric from The Mars Volta, and b) turn a phrase or two. Take today's song: "Neoprene Byzantine" is just a fun pair of words to say, even when not married to some seriously funky rock. Check it out and marvel at how far these guys have come.
Friday, 11 April 2014
Friday: Killer Be Killed - Wings of Feather and Wax
Since I mentioned them in "yesterday's" post about supergroup Antemasque, and have really talked about them before, I figure it's high time I give the figurative fifteen minutes to Killer Be Killed.
Why? Let's do the math. Troy from Mastodon + Greg from The Dillinger Escape Plan + David from The Mars Volta + Max Cavalera from Sepultura and Soulfly = reason to be intrigued. That's a formula to get interested in right off the bat, and it doesn't hurt that the couple of songs that've been released so far aren't half bad either.
You're probably way ahead of me on this one, but if maybe you've heard about this project and are still on the fence or something, have a listen to "Wings of Feather and Wax" from Killer Be Killed's debut self-titled album, due out next month, and see if you dig.
Why? Let's do the math. Troy from Mastodon + Greg from The Dillinger Escape Plan + David from The Mars Volta + Max Cavalera from Sepultura and Soulfly = reason to be intrigued. That's a formula to get interested in right off the bat, and it doesn't hurt that the couple of songs that've been released so far aren't half bad either.
You're probably way ahead of me on this one, but if maybe you've heard about this project and are still on the fence or something, have a listen to "Wings of Feather and Wax" from Killer Be Killed's debut self-titled album, due out next month, and see if you dig.
Thursday: Antemasque - 4AM
The reuniting of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala -- the dynamic duo behind At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta -- would, one might well hope and expect, result in the resurrection of one or the other of the two aforementioned storied acts. Sadly, as Mick so wisely opined, we can't always get what we want. But sometimes we can get what we need...
In this case, that turns out to be a new supergroup of sorts starring Rodriguez-Lopez, Bixler-Zavala, drummer David Elitch (formerly of Volta and currently of Killer Be Killed, another supergroup you might have heard of), and some guy named Flea. Sounds like it's going to suck, doesn't it? The first song we're hearing from the band, a rocking number called "4AM", has a vibe closer to At the Drive-In than The Mars Volta, but that doesn't mean Antemasque sounds like a knock-off or anything.
One song isn't really enough to judge a band or an album by, but I'll do just that and say that Antemasque has the potential to be a good time. Will it eclipse any of the bands from which its members hail? Probably not. But if "4AM" is any indication, there might be some cool, catchy little songs to be had. Check it out and see what you think.
In this case, that turns out to be a new supergroup of sorts starring Rodriguez-Lopez, Bixler-Zavala, drummer David Elitch (formerly of Volta and currently of Killer Be Killed, another supergroup you might have heard of), and some guy named Flea. Sounds like it's going to suck, doesn't it? The first song we're hearing from the band, a rocking number called "4AM", has a vibe closer to At the Drive-In than The Mars Volta, but that doesn't mean Antemasque sounds like a knock-off or anything.
One song isn't really enough to judge a band or an album by, but I'll do just that and say that Antemasque has the potential to be a good time. Will it eclipse any of the bands from which its members hail? Probably not. But if "4AM" is any indication, there might be some cool, catchy little songs to be had. Check it out and see what you think.
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
The Mars Volta - Ouroborous
I make no secret of the fact that I think the musical output of The Mars Volta peaked early in the band's career, perhaps even as early as De-Loused in the Comatorium. There's no denying that pretty much anybody who's ever played with the band is a talented musician and performer, but I just feel that the standards of songwriting didn't remain as high as the standards of musicianship.
With each album after sophomore Frances the Mute or so, the songs get less focused, less precise, and more scattershot. It feels to me like the holes in the band's quality control filter got larger and larger each time out, when pretty much every note on De-Loused is so necessary and perfectly placed. Sure, "Tira Me a las Aranas" is a bit of weird throwaway in the middle there, but it still fits with detracting too much.
Of course, even with increasing amounts of these unnecessary bits from one album to the next, every Mars Volta record has some equally shining moments, moments that come close to rebottling the lightning of the band's early work. One such moment is tonight's song, "Ouroborous", from 2008's The Bedlam in Goliath, an energetic blast of salsa rhythm that surges forward like any of the best Mars Volta material. Have a listen a shed a tear for one of the great bands of the 2000's.
With each album after sophomore Frances the Mute or so, the songs get less focused, less precise, and more scattershot. It feels to me like the holes in the band's quality control filter got larger and larger each time out, when pretty much every note on De-Loused is so necessary and perfectly placed. Sure, "Tira Me a las Aranas" is a bit of weird throwaway in the middle there, but it still fits with detracting too much.
Of course, even with increasing amounts of these unnecessary bits from one album to the next, every Mars Volta record has some equally shining moments, moments that come close to rebottling the lightning of the band's early work. One such moment is tonight's song, "Ouroborous", from 2008's The Bedlam in Goliath, an energetic blast of salsa rhythm that surges forward like any of the best Mars Volta material. Have a listen a shed a tear for one of the great bands of the 2000's.
Thursday, 6 February 2014
The Mars Volta - Inertiatic ESP
For tonight's quickie song we're going way back in The Mars Volta's catalogue. Why? Because we can!
Your song this evening is "Inertiatic ESP" from The Mars Volta's 2003 debut De-loused in the Comatorium, but I will award bonus points if you also check out intro track "Son et Lumiere" first for the full effect. Now imagine yourself as me in high school, a fan of At The Drive-In, hearing this album for the first time, probably at high volume. Suffice it to say, my brain was well and truly wrinkled.
For all the wankery and wasted potential that might have ensued in their career, The Mars Volta started off incendiary. I likely wouldn't have the taste for prog I do today without them being one of the steps in my musical journey.
Your song this evening is "Inertiatic ESP" from The Mars Volta's 2003 debut De-loused in the Comatorium, but I will award bonus points if you also check out intro track "Son et Lumiere" first for the full effect. Now imagine yourself as me in high school, a fan of At The Drive-In, hearing this album for the first time, probably at high volume. Suffice it to say, my brain was well and truly wrinkled.
For all the wankery and wasted potential that might have ensued in their career, The Mars Volta started off incendiary. I likely wouldn't have the taste for prog I do today without them being one of the steps in my musical journey.
Sunday, 17 November 2013
The Mars Volta - The Widow
If you'll allow me to wax poetic for a moment,tonight's post is a sip of champagne poured out onto the ground for a fallen musical homie.
I've been a fan of The Mars Volta for a long time, and even though their work got less and less focused with each album (with the possible exception of Noctourniquet) I was bummed to hear the news that the band has broken up. It marked the end of a weird, proggy era.
Tonight's song, however, is aimed at anyone who isn't aware of just how normal and straight-forward a song The Mars Volta were capable of writing. Have a listen to "The Widow" from 2005's sophomore LP Frances the Mute and see what you think.
I've been a fan of The Mars Volta for a long time, and even though their work got less and less focused with each album (with the possible exception of Noctourniquet) I was bummed to hear the news that the band has broken up. It marked the end of a weird, proggy era.
Tonight's song, however, is aimed at anyone who isn't aware of just how normal and straight-forward a song The Mars Volta were capable of writing. Have a listen to "The Widow" from 2005's sophomore LP Frances the Mute and see what you think.
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Song of the Day: T.R.A.M. - Endeavour
A quick instrumental jazz metal post for you this evening, and a riddle: what do The Mars Volta, Animals as Leaders, and Suicidal Tendencies have in common? Give up?
Monday, 11 March 2013
Song of the Day: Mestis - Te Mato
This evening you're getting another dose of Mestis, the latin-jazz inspired instrudjent side-project of Animals as Leaders guitarist Javier Reyes for the simple reason that I finally got around to ripping my copy of Basal Ganglia and throwing it on the old mp3 player.
Monday, 25 February 2013
Song of the Day: Closure in Moscow - Vanguard
I've written about Australians Closure in Moscow before, but a) it's been a while b) they're cool and c) I need something with an M in it, because it's...
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Song of the Day: The Mars Volta - Roulette Dares (The Haunt of)
I read the other day that, if tweets are to be believed, The Mars Volta is no more. This is really a shame, since I can't really think of another quasi-mainstream rock act of the last few years that pushed the envelope to new and interesting places as much as The Mars Volta. It also occurred to me in the wake of this news that, despite writing about The Mars Volta at least once, I've never given them their own day. That changes now, while I still have the chance.
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Song of the Day: Thank You Scientist - My famed disappearing act
I read reviews on sites like Heavyblogisheavy and MetalSucks, and if somebody I don't know sounds particularly interesting I'll go and check them out. I'm sure you do much the same thing when you're looking for new stuff. That's how I discovered today's band.
Thursday, 16 August 2012
Song of the Day: At the Drive-In - Arcarsenal
Morning kids. I'm building on the last couple of day's songs today. Yesterday we had Death Before Disco because the day before I'd said Exotic Animal Petting Zoo reminded me of them. Well I also mentioned At the Drive-In, and even though I did remind you that At the Drive-In came up way back in the first Loud Noises post about The Mars Volta (meaning that if you wanted some ATDI, you should know where to look for a few recommendations from yours truly), I've decided to give them a day so that I can be sure you know what I'm talking about with this vibe I'm getting from these three bands.
Monday, 7 May 2012
Koloss Ist Ein Monster
Welcome back for another round! Couldn’t resist, could you? Maybe you’re back because last time I promised that next time (ie: this time) would be heavier. Sure, from a certain point of view The Mars Volta are kinda metal, kinda heavy – musically technical and complex, lyrically oblique, vocals like Queen on acid, and they can take a few listens to really get into – but from another point of view, and held up against another kind of band, they’re really not very heavy or metal at all. I wrote about them last time in no small part because they released a new record the week of March 27th, which put them back on my musical radar. Coincidentally, the same week (in North America, anyways) as Noctourniquet was released, another kind of band put out another kind of album as well, both of which are most definitely metal. That band is Meshuggah, and their new album (in case the title of this post didn’t give it away already) is called Koloss.
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