Album: The Bedlam In Goliath
Artist: The Mars Volta
Genre: Progressive/Space Rock/Jazz Fusion
Year: 2008
Label: Universal Motown Records/Gold Standard Laboratories
It’s taken three albums and collaboration with Arggo Hip-Hop visionary El-P to convince me, but it’s done. I am assured of The Mars Volta’s genius and love it. Move over hipsters, I’m joining the bandwagon. Sure there are things that annoy me, Rick Rubin producing their first album for one, touring with the Red Hot Chili Peppers for another. But ultimately that doesn’t matter anymore, as The Mars Volta have gone far, far beyond anything that the Chili Peppers or Rubin is capable of. The band has had a tumultuous time, perhaps even insane, of trying to solidify their line-up. For now, they seem to have settled on a nine member ensemble which allows for some of the nuttiest prog anthems they’ve attempted yet. Bedlam is a strong album, despite the chaotic recording process, which almost (apparently thanks to a cursed Ouija board) went belly up in the water (literally, Rodriguez-Lopez's home studio flooded twice during the recording process.) Curses and Ouija boards be damned, the album was finally pieced together and released and what an album it is. Omar Rodríguez-López’s (Holy crap, his name) guitars are brilliant. I don’t usually get off on a good guitar freak-out, but this is just too good not to mention.
Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s voice takes a little getting used to, but it’s grown on me. His lyrics are bizarre and seemingly non-sensical, but as with their previous albums focus on a story. The story behind Bedlam lies with the Soothsayer, the previously-mentioned cursed Ouija board which damned The Mars Volta straight to hell, at least until it was buried in an undisclosed location. Gone but not forgotten, the bad juju that whammied the band is the main creative source for the lyrics. They may not make sense, but they’re interesting enough to make you try to figure them out. What to say next? I would normally review individual tracks, but here I’m not sure what to say. This album is a power trip and for me to try to extol the virtues of the individual pieces with the information I have would probably not do them justice. This is probably not the album to begin your journey to the heart of the Volta, that would be De-loused in the Comatorium or Frances the Mute (If you can handle Cassandra Gemini) but once you’ve done that you’ll be ready for the chaos and brilliance of this album. Once again, The Mars Volta provide an Epic, Spaced out Jazz-Prog Explosion that leaves the room clear of nay-sayers. And they’re prolific; this is their fourth album in five years and the next one is already in the works. After curses and Ouija board doom, next time they’ll probably set off an alien invasion. One can only wonder…
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